U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met Thursday in Malaysia for what could be a testy conversation as tensions between the countries rise over Moscow’s increasing attacks on Ukraine and questions about whether Russia's leader is serious about a peace deal.

Anwar cited the US' willingness to review trade tariffs and strengthen ties with both Malaysia and the broader ASEAN region. The prime minister also extended a formal invitation to Trump, through Rubio, to attend the upcoming summit in October.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, as Washington continues to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The talks were held on the sidelines of a foreign ministers' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Rubio reiterates to Anwar that Malaysia remains an important US partner and Washington is keen to boost cooperation with Asean.

The U.S. State Department announced Monday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head to Malaysia Tuesday, just after threats of higher tariffs made by President Donald Trump on nations aligned with BRICS.

KUALA LUMPUR: President Donald Trump may be coming to Malaysia to attend the 47th Asean Summit in October. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said discussions are underway.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday responded to news that an individual used an artificially generated voice to impersonate him by saying that he communicates with counterparts around the world through official channels to avoid such risks.