KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia on Thursday.

“I think it’s a new and a different approach,” Rubio told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that, you know, that I’ll take back to the president.” He didn’t elaborate.

Rubio added that President Donald Trump has been “disappointed and frustrated that there’s not been more flexibility on the Russian side” to bring about an end to the conflict.

“We need to see a road map moving forward about how this conflict can conclude. And then we shared some ideas about what that might look like,” he said of the 50-minute meeting. “We’re going to continue to stay involved where we see opportunities to make a difference.”

In a statement released shortly after Thursday’s meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that “substantive and frank exchange of views” had taken place on issues including Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and other global problems.

“Both countries reaffirmed their mutual commitment to finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, restoring Russian-American economic and humanitarian cooperation, and unimpeded contact between the societies of the two countries, something which could be facilitated by resuming direct air traffic,” the statement said. “The importance of further work to normalize bilateral diplomatic relations was also emphasized.”

The talks came as Russia pounded Ukraine’s capital with another major missile and drone attack overnight into Thursday, killing at least two people and causing fires across Kyiv a day after the heaviest drone attack so far in the more than three-year war, Ukrainian officials said.

The night was punctuated with the chilling whine of approaching drones that slammed into residential areas, exploded and sent balls of orange flames into the dark during the 10-hour barrage. Russia fired 397 Shahed and decoy drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv and five other regions, authorities said.

June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the war, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine said Thursday, as Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles than the same month last year.

At least 13,580 Ukrainian civilians, including 716 children, have been killed and more than 34,000 wounded since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor began on Feb. 24, 2022, the U.N. said.

Rubio and 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 United States.

Thursday’s meeting occurred shortly after the U.S. resumed some shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine following a pause, ostensibly for the Pentagon to review domestic munitions stocks, that was cheered in Moscow.

Rubio was also meeting other foreign ministers, including many whose countries face tariffs set to be imposed Aug. 1.

Trump notified several countries on Monday and Wednesday that they will face higher tariffs if they don’t make trade deals with the U.S. Among them are eight of ASEAN’s 10 members.

U.S. State Department officials said tariffs and trade won’t be Rubio’s focus during the meetings, which Trump’s Republican administration hopes will prioritize maritime safety and security in the South China Sea, where China has become increasingly aggressive toward its small neighbors, as well as combating transnational crime.