Rubio says ‘progress but ways to go’ in efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war

US apical diplomat’s remarks travel arsenic Ukraine negotiators question to US for caller circular of talks connected ending the conflict.

The apical United States diplomat says advancement has been made successful efforts to extremity the Russia-Ukraine war, but much enactment is needed, arsenic Ukrainian officials travelled to the US for a caller circular of negotiations.

Speaking during a year-end quality conference successful Washington, DC, connected Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is not trying to enforce a woody connected either side.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3EU agrees connected $105bn indebtedness to enactment Ukraine’s defence against Russia
• list 2 of 3Russia-Ukraine war: List of cardinal events, time 1,394
• list 3 of 3EU agrees hefty $105bn Ukraine indebtedness without utilizing Russian assets

“What we are trying to fig retired present is what tin Ukraine unrecorded with and what tin Russia unrecorded with and … spot if we tin thrust them towards each different and immoderate benignant of agreement,” helium said.

“I deliberation we’ve made progress, but we person a ways to go, and obviously, the hardest issues are ever the past issues.”

Rubio’s remarks travel arsenic Ukrainian bid negotiators were acceptable to commencement a caller circular of talks with US officials connected Friday connected proposals for ending the astir four-year warfare with Russia.

The caput of Kyiv’s delegation, Rustem Umerov, who is successful the US for the talks, said connected the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine’s European partners would beryllium involved.

“We are constructively minded. We person already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side,” Umerov said.

“Ukraine’s information indispensable beryllium guaranteed reliably and successful the agelong term,” helium added.

Since returning to bureau successful January, US President Donald Trump has launched a large diplomatic push to extremity the conflict, but negotiations person been tense implicit sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.

White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, held talks successful Berlin with Ukrainian and European officials earlier this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine and the US had agreed connected respective documents, including a 20-point bid framework, and information guarantees and a reconstruction program for Ukraine.

But helium said that nary last proposals had been agreed, adding that territorial issues remained unresolved.

Putin’s demands

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine cede each territory successful 4 cardinal regions his forces person captured and occupied, on with Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed successful 2014.

Putin besides wants Ukrainian troops to retreat from parts of eastbound Ukraine that Russian forces person not yet taken successful the eastbound Donetsk region, wherever warring remains attritional – conditions Kyiv has rejected outright.

On Friday, successful his “Results of the year” code successful Moscow, Putin blamed Zelenskyy for refusing to sermon territorial concessions – a cardinal request from the Kremlin to extremity the war.

The Ukrainian person has said successful caller days that Kyiv volition not springiness up territory, and the nation’s constitution besides forbids it.

But Zelenskyy has indicated that Kyiv was prepared to driblet its long-held ambition of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) successful speech for Western information guarantees.

While the Kremlin welcomed the decision, warring connected the crushed continues.

On Friday, Rubio noted that wars mostly extremity 1 of 2 ways: When 1 broadside surrenders oregon erstwhile the parties hold to a negotiated settlement.

“We don’t spot surrender immoderate clip successful the adjacent future, and lone a negotiated colony tin extremity this war,” said the US caput of state, adding that immoderate determination astir ending the warfare volition beryllium up to Ukraine and Russia.