U.S. to step back from Russia-Ukraine peace efforts
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. is ready to abandon 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 remarks stem from U.S. President Donald Trump having spent 87 days at the highest level of his government, making repeated efforts 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 USA 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," was stated on the Ukrainian president's website. The meeting took place early Thursday afternoon.
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 included U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Keith Kellog, 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," noted the statement.
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 the proceedings of Thursday's talks in Paris, which involved representatives from the USA, 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."
