Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia Thursday at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The meeting put the Russia-Ukraine war at the center of a trip that was meant to strengthen alliances in Southeast Asia.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is wrapping his up his time at a Southeast Asian security conference with a meeting with his Chinese counterpart as tensions grow over issues from trade to security and China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The two major powers vied to push their agendas in Asia at a time of simmering tension over a U.S. trade tariffs offensive.