Rubio names goal of meeting with Russia in Riyadh and issues discussed
Photo: Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State (Getty Images)
The United States of America and Russia, during negotiations in Saudi Arabia, didn’t engage in any specifics about territories of Ukraine, citing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview.
Saudi Arabia negotiations
"We didn’t engage in any specifics about territories, none of these, because that wasn’t the purpose of that meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to determine whether there was a real interest in discussing peace or not. If there is, then it’s a process that can begin," stated Rubio.
Secretary of State also mentioned that it is "silly" to say, that the Ukrainians or the Europeans are going to be "cut out", as it is impossible to find a stop to a war unless both sides and their views are represented.
"Likewise with the Europeans. The Europeans and the EU have their own set of sanctions on Russia. Even if we lifted all of our sanctions – which none of that was discussed – the Europeans would have to lift sanctions too in order for something to be possible. So, they all have to be consulted at some point, but we’re just not at that stage yet," he clarified.
Is Russia serious about peace?
As Rubio stated, he can’t answer whether they’re serious about peace or not yet. That will have to be determined by the attitude Russia takes moving forward.
"The only thing we agreed upon is that we’re going to talk about peace. What they offer, what they’re willing to concede to, what they’re willing to consider will determine whether they’re serious about peace or not. We’re just not at that stage yet," the Secretary added.
On February 18, a meeting took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between high-level delegations from the USA and Russia. During this meeting, the sides discussed, among other things, the resolution of the Russo-Ukrainian war. More details can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article.
