Sawt Falasteen - Rubio to meet Russia's Lavrov as strikes pound Kyiv

Rubio's first visit to Asia as secretary of state also comes as US President Donald Trump ramps up his trade war, threatening more than 20 countries with punitive tariffs.

The top US diplomat is to meet Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur, a senior State Department official said.

Russian strikes on Kyiv wounded at least seven people overnight, the city's military administration said early Thursday, warning of a ballistic missile threat.

AFP journalists in Kyiv heard loud blasts echoing over the city throughout the night and saw flashes from air defence system lighting up the sky.

Dozens of residents of the capital took shelter in a central metro station, an AFP reporter said, sleeping on mats, calming pets and waiting out the attack on camping furniture.

That came a day after Russia's biggest missile and drone attack on Ukraine in more than three years of war -- and after Trump launched an expletive-filled attack on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Trump accused Putin of talking "bullshit" about Ukraine, saying that the United States would send Kyiv more weapons to defend itself.

Rubio and Lavrov last met in person in February in Saudi Arabia, following a rapprochement between Trump and Putin. The two diplomats have also spoken multiple times by phone.

After Malaysia, Lavrov will visit North Korea this weekend, the latest in a series of high-profile visits by top Moscow officials as the two countries deepen military ties.

Pyongyang has emerged as one of the Kremlin's main allies during its Ukraine invasion, sending thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to oust Kyiv's forces and providing the Russian army with artillery shells and missiles.

- 'No passing storm' -

US officials said ahead of Rubio's trip that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East Asia and Southeast Asia.

But Trump has also threatened more than 20 countries, many in Asia, with punitive duties ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and announced a 50 percent toll on copper imports and a possible 200 percent tariff on pharmaceuticals.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warned Asia's top diplomats on Wednesday of a new era when tariffs are among the "sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry."

"This is no passing storm, it is a new weather of our time," Ibrahim said as the meeting of the 10-nation bloc got underway.

Trump said Monday that duties he had suspended in April would snap back -- even more steeply -- on August 1.

Among those targeted were top trade partners Japan and South Korea, which each face 25 percent tariffs.

Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar -- all members of ASEAN -- face duties ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent if they do not strike deals with Washington by Trump's new deadline.

The levels were not too far from those originally threatened in April, although some rates were notably lower this time.

Vietnam, which is also an ASEAN member, is one of only two countries to have reached a tentative agreement with Trump.

Rubio will attend a post-ministerial conference and a meeting by East Asian foreign ministers -- which will also see Japan, South Korea and China participating.

He will also meet with Anwar and hold trilateral talks with the Philippines and Japan.

A senior US official said the issue of tariffs was expected to be raised at the talks in Kuala Lumpur, and that Rubio would likely tell ASEAN that the United States wants to "rebalance" its trade relationships.

Rubio's Chinese counterpart Wang Yi is also visiting Malaysia.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST