Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Malaysia to attend several diplomatic meetings with senior Malaysian government officials. It is his first diplomatic visit to Asia as a member of the Trump administration.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Foreign Ministers of the US and Russia participate in the ASEAN Summit. Malaysia has been the setting for a meeting on Thursday between the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, and the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs,

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.

The U.S. Secretary of State wants to bolster defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, while distrust of Trump’s commitments to the region, particularly on economic issues, runs deep.