US Secretary of State sees potential in Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
On the eve of negotiations between American and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that he sees potential in Ukraine’s proposal for a partial ceasefire to help end the war, according to the BBC.
"I'm not saying that alone is enough but it's the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict," Rubio said.
According to media reports, Kyiv is expected to propose an air and sea truce with Russia during talks with a US delegation on Tuesday.
The BBC also noted that Russia has previously rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire, claiming it is an attempt to buy time and prevent Ukraine’s military collapse.
Before the meeting in Jeddah, Rubio emphasized the need to "establish clearly Ukraine's intentions" regarding a peace agreement. He stated that Ukraine have to be prepared to do difficult things like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things" to end the war.
"I'm not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do. We want to listen to see how far they're willing to go, and compare that to what the Russians want, and then see how far apart we truly are," Rubio explained.
He stressed that both sides must acknowledge that "there's no military solution" to this conflict and that it can only be resolved through "diplomatic means."
Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Talks between the Ukrainian and American delegations are scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on March 11.
Prior to the talks, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine would be clearly committed to constructive negotiations. Zelenskyy hopes that they will be able to discuss and agree on the necessary decisions and steps.
To add, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on a visit to Saudi Arabia today, but he will not participate in the talks.
On the eve of the meeting, Rubio expressed hope that the issue of Washington's suspension of military aid to Ukraine could be resolved during the talks in Saudi Arabia.
