marco-rubio-warns-against-endless-russia-ukraine-negotiations

The United States will not support an unending series of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine without tangible progress towards ending the ongoing conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.

 

Rubio made these remarks following the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in three years, held in Istanbul on Friday. The negotiations resulted in an agreement for a significant prisoner exchange, involving 1,000 detainees from each side, and a commitment to continue talks once detailed ceasefire proposals have been prepared.

 

"On the one hand, we’re trying to achieve peace and end a very bloody, costly, and destructive war. So there’s some element of patience that is required," Rubio said in an interview aired on Sunday. "On the other hand, we don’t have time to waste. There are a lot of other things happening in the world that we also need to be paying attention to."

 

He added, "We don’t want to be involved in this process of just endless talks. There has to be some progress, some movement forward."

 

Also read: Trump seeks 'swift' meeting with Putin to resolve Ukraine crisis

 

Rubio further stated that the United States would assess any ceasefire proposals from both Russia and Ukraine, emphasising the need for realistic and actionable steps towards ending the conflict.

 

"If those papers have ideas on them that are realistic and rational, then I think we know we’ve made progress," he said.

 

The US Secretary of State also hinted at the possibility of fresh sanctions against Russia should the negotiations fail to produce a concrete outcome.

 

US Senator Lindsey Graham is reportedly preparing to introduce a bill that would impose 500 per cent tariffs on imports from countries purchasing Russian oil, natural gas, and uranium – a measure Rubio said would apply to all nations without exception.

 

However, Moscow appears undeterred by the threat of further economic penalties and has rejected a 30-day ceasefire, insisting that any meaningful negotiations must address the "root causes" of the conflict, including Ukraine's ambitions to join NATO, which Russia views as a direct threat to its national security.