Marco Rubio (extreme left) with Russia’s Sergei Lavrov (extreme right) in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday

AP Kuala Lumpur

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the US 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 characterise 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 roadmap 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."