Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met again on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur, with the war in Ukraine at the centre of discussions.

The talks followed a 50-minute meeting between the two top diplomats a day earlier. While no details have emerged from Friday’s exchange, Rubio told reporters after Thursday’s talks that both sides had discussed a possible “new and different approach” to reviving peace efforts in Ukraine.

“I wouldn’t characterise it as something that guarantees peace,” Rubio said, “but it’s a concept that I’ll take back to the president.” The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the meeting  on Friday as a “substantive and frank exchange” of views on Ukraine, as well as on Iran, Syria, and wider global issues.