Rubio urges continued Ukraine-Russia peace talks
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized the importance of continuing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, according to the official website of the US Department of State.
On Saturday, June 7, Rubio held a conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. One of the key topics discussed was the ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
"Secretary Rubio underscored the importance of continued direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace," Rubio stressed in a statement.
Peace talks and breakdown of prisoner exchange
This statement from the head of the US foreign policy agency comes amid the breakdown of a prisoner exchange that had been scheduled for June 7, an initiative resulting from the ongoing peace talks.
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, accused Ukraine of deliberately postponing the exchange.
However, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War denied the accusation and instead blamed the Russian side for violating previously agreed procedures.
The second round of Ukraine-Russia negotiations took place on June 2 in Istanbul. The two delegations agreed on an exchange of specific categories of prisoners using an all-for-all formula. They also agreed to exchange the bodies of fallen soldiers on a 6,000-for-6,000 basis.
At the same time, the talks made no progress toward a ceasefire and did not bring the war any closer to an end. The Russian side continues to make ultimatum-style demands that Kyiv recognize occupied territories as Russian, which would involve a partial loss of Ukrainian sovereignty, a position Ukraine finds unacceptable.
