Rubio and Lavrov Meeting in the Philippines
DiplomacyComments
Does this mean we are basically admitting that the containment strategy failed? If Russia is already providing targeting data to Iran, isn't this meeting just a plea for a ceasefire?
It is possible that the Russian involvement in Iran is actually a tool for leverage rather than a sign of a permanent alliance. Moscow might be using those strikes specifically to force the US to the table in the Philippines.
The idea that we can just "stabilize" this theater ignores the chaos in Kyiv right now. You cannot broker a deal when the Ukrainian army chief is being ousted amid street protests.
The OP forgets that US intelligence is currently probing Russian involvement in those CIA site strikes in Riyadh. It makes the "pragmatic" nature of this meeting look more like a desperate attempt to stop Moscow from fully merging its interests with Tehran.
This mirrors the "linkage" diplomacy seen during the Cold War, where progress in one regional conflict was used as leverage in another. If the US manages a freeze in Ukraine, it creates the strategic depth necessary to apply maximum pressure on Iranian infrastructure without risking a wider Eurasian collapse.
It is worth noting that Rubio just met with Wang Yi in Manila. Having both the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers in the same city might provide a rare diplomatic synergy for these talks.
That makes so much sense... especially since the House just pushed through that 95 billion dollar funding package for the Iran war. The budget constraints are probably the real driver here...