Rubio questions Kremlin's commitment to ending Ukraine war
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
The United States does not know whether Russia is truly prepared to end its war against Ukraine. Washington will continue testing the seriousness of the Kremlin’s intentions, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
Read also: Rubio cancels Ukraine meeting with European leaders in Munich, FT reports
"We don’t know the Russians are serious about ending the war; they say they are – and under what terms they were willing to do it and whether we can find terms that are acceptable to Ukraine that Russia will always agree to. But we’re going to continue to test it," Rubio said.
He stressed that the US and Europe are continuing to press Russia to enter into negotiations.
"I don’t think anybody in this room would be against a negotiated settlement to this war so long as the conditions are just and sustainable. And that’s what we aim to achieve, and we’re going to continue to try to achieve it, even as all these other things continue to happen on the sanctions front and so forth," the US secretary of state added.
Ukraine-Russia negotiations
Two rounds of talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia have already taken place in Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary and head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, said the most recent meeting focused on mechanisms for implementing a ceasefire and monitoring the halt in hostilities.
Reuters recently reported, citing sources, that Ukraine and the US discussed the possibility of concluding a peace agreement with Russia as early as March.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that the next round of trilateral talks will take place in Geneva on February 17–18. The Russian delegation will be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Russian media also reported that Moscow will send Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, known for his hardline stance and aggressive foreign policy views.
Umerov confirmed the date of the new meeting, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of Ukraine’s delegation, which will include the same representatives who participated in the previous rounds in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said yesterday that Russia wants to reach a deal and that Zelenskyy will need to act or risk “losing a great opportunity.”
