Rubio Says Clarity on Ukraine Peace Expected 'a matter of weeks'
Moscow has asserted that Kiev is violating the ceasefire terms established with the US. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Russia's position on a potential peace resolution for the Ukraine conflict will be revealed soon. In a...
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Moscow has asserted that Kiev is violating the ceasefire terms established with the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Russia's position on a potential peace resolution for the Ukraine conflict will be revealed soon.
In a phone call on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a suggestion from US President Donald Trump to implement a 30-day halt on attacks targeting energy facilities. Since then, Moscow has accused Kiev of consistently breaching the agreement.
During a press conference on Friday, Rubio emphasized Trump’s desire to conclude the Ukraine conflict. However, he noted, “you can’t end a war unless both sides agree.” He added, “We will know soon enough – in a matter of weeks, not months – whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are. It would be good for the world if that war ended, but obviously we have to test that proposition.”
Rubio also mentioned that Ukraine has demonstrated “a willingness to enter, for example, into a complete ceasefire to create space for negotiation.”
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday that as of Friday morning, April 4, “the Kiev regime, contrary to all statements and commitments made by Zelensky to the American side regarding a 30-day cessation of strikes on Russian energy facilities, significantly increased the number of unilateral attacks using drones and artillery munitions against the energy infrastructure of Russian regions.”
Rubio warned that if Russia is not prepared for peace, “we’ll have to re-evaluate where we stand and what we do moving forward about it, but we’ll be in no different a position than we are today or we were when he took office.”
This week, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy, visited Washington for discussions with White House officials. He stated that the negotiations yielded some progress and highlighted the parties’ understanding of how to advance towards resolving the conflict. Nonetheless, Dmitriev cautioned that third parties are attempting to undermine the normalization efforts initiated by Trump in February.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Russia's position on a potential peace resolution for the Ukraine conflict will be revealed soon.
In a phone call on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a suggestion from US President Donald Trump to implement a 30-day halt on attacks targeting energy facilities. Since then, Moscow has accused Kiev of consistently breaching the agreement.
During a press conference on Friday, Rubio emphasized Trump’s desire to conclude the Ukraine conflict. However, he noted, “you can’t end a war unless both sides agree.” He added, “We will know soon enough – in a matter of weeks, not months – whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I hope they are. It would be good for the world if that war ended, but obviously we have to test that proposition.”
Rubio also mentioned that Ukraine has demonstrated “a willingness to enter, for example, into a complete ceasefire to create space for negotiation.”
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday that as of Friday morning, April 4, “the Kiev regime, contrary to all statements and commitments made by Zelensky to the American side regarding a 30-day cessation of strikes on Russian energy facilities, significantly increased the number of unilateral attacks using drones and artillery munitions against the energy infrastructure of Russian regions.”
Rubio warned that if Russia is not prepared for peace, “we’ll have to re-evaluate where we stand and what we do moving forward about it, but we’ll be in no different a position than we are today or we were when he took office.”
This week, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s investment envoy, visited Washington for discussions with White House officials. He stated that the negotiations yielded some progress and highlighted the parties’ understanding of how to advance towards resolving the conflict. Nonetheless, Dmitriev cautioned that third parties are attempting to undermine the normalization efforts initiated by Trump in February.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
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