Rubio: Long-term peace requires terms acceptable to both Ukraine and Russia
Photo: Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State (flickr by US Department of State)
The war between Ukraine and Russia must end under conditions acceptable to both sides. In this case, the peace will be long-term, stated US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to journalists.
After talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia, Rubio said he was convinced that Russia is ready to begin a serious process to determine how to end the war.
"Whether we can optimally reach that outcome will obviously depend on every side's of the conflict willingness to agree the certain things," he said.
According to him, the meeting between American and Russian officials lays the groundwork for future contacts. However, the outcome will depend on whether the parties can not only make commitments but also fulfill them. This, he noted, will become clear in the coming weeks.
"When you talk about enduring and sustainable end of the conflict, it means one that is acceptable to everyone involved in it," Rubio emphasized.
He added that this includes Ukraine, the US partners in Europe and the Russian side.
Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Today, February 18, a meeting between American and Russian officials took place in Saudi Arabia.
According to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, during the meeting, the two sides agreed to appoint teams to work on ending the conflict in Ukraine in a way that is acceptable to all parties.
At the same time, yesterday, February 17, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine would not recognize the results of such a meeting, as the issue of ending the war was discussed without the Ukrainian side.
