Rubio breaks silence on strikes in Russia, brings up Kyiv-Moscow peace talks
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
In the coming weeks, the United States may make a new attempt to resume negotiations between Ukraine and Russia on ending the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an interview with Fox News, emphasized that Washington is ready to support any opportunity to advance the peace process.
According to Rubio, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States is ready to play a constructive role in ending the war.
He noted that throughout the first year, the administration devoted a lot of attention to this issue, but the negotiation process reached a dead end.
"The President has made very clear if the United States can play a role in bringing about an end to that war, we’re going to continue to explore it," Rubio said.
At the same time, the Secretary of State emphasized that, in his opinion, President Trump is the only world leader capable of bringing the Russian and Ukrainian sides to the negotiating table to discuss ending the war.
US notes a change in the situation on the front
Rubio said that the situation in the war has changed somewhat in recent months.
According to him, Ukraine is now capable of delivering long-range strikes deep into Russian territory, which is why the war is increasingly being felt by the Russian population as well.
"What we are willing to explore is whether that new dynamic has in any way opened the door to some negotiated settlement," he said.
The Secretary of State said that new diplomatic steps could be taken in the coming weeks to resume negotiations between the parties.
At the same time, he acknowledged that both Ukraine and Russia have their own firm, principled positions.
"We understand that both sides have some pretty strong red lines; and until we can bring those red lines a little closer together, we’re not going to be there yet," Rubio said.
Trump ordered his team to look for opportunities for peace
According to the Secretary of State, the US President has instructed his team to use any opportunity to advance peace negotiations.
"The President has told his team, if you see an opportunity to be a force that brings about some momentum behind peace talks, let’s do it. So, he always prefers diplomacy over war and peace over combat," Rubio concluded.
Context
Ukraine has repeatedly stated its readiness to continue negotiations with Russia, but only on the condition that they be aimed at achieving a ceasefire.
As a reminder, Russia laid out its demands for ending the war in a memorandum presented on June 2 during talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. In Ukraine, it is referred to as an ultimatum.
According to polls, the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians oppose fulfilling Putin's demands.
