Rubio: Concrete Steps Toward Ukraine Peace Talks Expected in Coming Weeks
US official Rubio said in a Fox News interview that concrete measures will be taken in the coming weeks to determine if Russia-Ukraine talks can resume. He also noted that both sides have firm red lines, but Washington is ready to help move the peace process forward.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said that in the coming weeks concrete steps are expected to determine whether dialogue between Russia and Ukraine can be restored. The US official suggested that Washington wants to find out whether there is a realistic path to ending the war through negotiations.
Rubio stressed that reconciling the positions of the two sides would be an extremely difficult task, and without it, the desired outcome would remain out of reach. According to him, both sides have quite firm red lines, and the only way to achieve a result is to bring those lines closer together. He added that as long as that does not happen, a meaningful breakthrough cannot be expected.
At the same time, Rubio said the United States is prepared to use any opportunity to encourage the resumption of peace talks. He also recalled his previous meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, after which he concluded that new ideas are needed to reach an agreement on ending the war in Ukraine. Rubio noted that the proposals made so far were not acceptable to Ukraine at the time and, in his opinion, are unlikely to be acceptable now. In fact, he suggested, they might be even less acceptable.
In a separate development, US President's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could visit Kyiv in the second half of August. The visit would reportedly coincide with events marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.
