U.S. ready to halt peace talks in Russia-Ukraine conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. is prepared to halt attempts to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine.
"If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on. It’s not our war. We didn’t start it. The United States has been helping Ukraine for the past three years and we want it to end, but it’s not our war," said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Paris Le Bourget Airport.
He explained that his remark stems from U.S. President Donald Trump spending 87 days at the highest level of his government, continuously striving to end this war.
"We're not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks. If it is we're in. If it's not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well," said Rubio.
"If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on. We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable," he added.
Delegations from Ukraine and the U.S. met in Paris to discuss key issues related to the ceasefire and peace. "The parties held a constructive and positive discussion on the paths toward a full ceasefire and the further process of achieving a comprehensive, just, and enduring peace. They also agreed to maintain regular dialogue on the issues discussed," stated a release on the Ukrainian president's website. The meeting took place early Thursday afternoon.
Participants in the talks included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and French President Emmanuel Macron. In the afternoon, broader discussions were held, involving the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, national security advisors from Germany and the United Kingdom, and representatives from Ukraine, including the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak.
"The parties held a constructive and positive discussion on the paths toward a full ceasefire and the further process of achieving a comprehensive, just, and enduring peace," the statement noted.
Rubio in Paris. He called Lavrov
The U.S. State Department reported on Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Sergey Lavrov by phone about Thursday's talks in Paris, which included representatives from the U.S., Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
According to a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry, Lavrov confirmed "Moscow's readiness to continue joint work with American colleagues aimed at properly fixing the problems that caused the Ukrainian crisis."
