US SECRETARY of State Marco Rubio claimed today that the Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine, while acknowledging that there is no quick path to a deal.

Mr Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said Moscow and Kiev should have the incentive to end a “very bloody war” that has devastated both sides.

He alluded to US-mediated talks having stalled, calling them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past, but insisted that President Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.

“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept. And we’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself,” he told reporters.

Mr Rubio met Mr Lavrov and several other leaders, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on the sidelines of an annual gathering of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers in the Philippines’ capital Manila.

After his meeting with Mr Rubio, Mr Lavrov largely ignored questions from reporters, though the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he had emphasised to Mr Rubio “the unacceptability of further arming” Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia’s “strategic defeat.”

Mr Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness for “a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict” and commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr Trump in Alaska last year, the Russian ministry said.

But Mr Rubio said that “we’ll have to find new suggestions and new ideas” that are acceptable to both sides for a peace deal. There has been no change to Washington’s military support for Ukraine, with weapons being purchased by Nato allies and transferred to the war-ravaged country, he said.

US efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war have been overshadowed by Washington and Israel’s unprovoked war on Iran. Renewed strikes by US and Iranian forces have been intensifying after an interim ceasefire deal collapsed.