A reporter asks Marco Rubio whether he will ask Foreign Minister Lavrov about Russia helping Iran target U.S. troops. pic.twitter.com/N7I7ZBVQOE — Acyn (@Acyn) July 23, 2026Lavrov underscored in the meeting "the unacceptability of further arming" Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia's "strategic defeat." But Rubio threw up a significant roadblock and challenge, stressing on the question of arming Ukraine, "There’s been no change to our policy in that regard." Some analysts have pointed out that Moscow is inflicting 'payback' on the United States related to its having armed Ukraine for many years. So the logic goes that Russia is now doing the same for Iran in the ratcheting Mideast conflict.