Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia Thursday at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The meeting put the Russia-Ukraine war at the center of a trip that was meant to strengthen alliances in Southeast Asia.

The discussion in Malaysia follows Trump’s harsh criticism of Putin and pledge to resume military aid to Kyiv.

Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which brings together 10 ASEAN members and their most important diplomatic partners including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, European nations and the U.S.