The latest discussions between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, held in Manila, have been characterized by Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, as a "notable signal" and a "concrete hope" rooted in common sense. "Yesterday’s brief meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio sent a clear, noticeable signal. This is what I refer to as common sense," Karasin wrote on his Telegram channel. A diplomatic source revealed that the meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State was initiated by the American side. Participants from the Russian side included Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, Director of the Foreign Policy Planning Department Alexey Drobinin, and Permanent Presidential Representative to ASEAN Yevgeny Zagaynov.