US continues pressure on Russia in parallel with peace talks – Rubio
Фото: REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the Munich Security Conference that it is not yet known whether Russia is truly committed to ending the war against Ukraine. He noted that the parties are continuing to explore the possibility of reaching terms that are acceptable to both states.
This is reported by Ukrinform .
The US Secretary of State noted that the list of issues that need to be resolved to end the war has been reduced, but the most difficult topics for negotiations remain.
“We don’t know if Russia is serious about ending the war — they say they are. We don’t know on what terms they are willing to do it and whether we can find terms that are acceptable to Ukraine that Russia will agree to at the same time. But we will continue to check it out,” Marco Rubio said.
He emphasized that the United States is simultaneously taking other steps to increase pressure on Russia. In particular, the American side has introduced additional sanctions against Russian oil and is negotiating with India to stop further purchases of Russian oil. The PURL program, which involves the sale of American weapons to support the Ukrainian military, is also continuing.
“All these processes have not stopped… The question that we do not yet have an answer to, but we continue to check it: is there an outcome that Ukraine can live with and that Russia will accept,” the Secretary of State noted.
Marco Rubio said he considered the technical-level meeting between military representatives of Ukraine and Russia last week to be some progress. He added that the next meeting of the parties is scheduled for February 17, but its composition may differ.
“We will continue to do everything we can to play our part in ending this war. I don’t think anyone is against a negotiated settlement, provided it is fair and sustainable. That is what we are trying to achieve and we will continue to work on it, in parallel with sanctions measures and other steps,” Marco Rubio concluded.
Recall that on February 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Munich and spoke at the Munich Security Conference. During his speech, the head of state raised the issues of military assistance, peace negotiations, Russian aggression, and security guarantees.
Zelenskyy previously stated that the document on security guarantees for Ukraine is fully prepared . Kyiv is currently awaiting a signal from the United States regarding the place and date of its signing.
It later became known that the United States of America had declared its readiness to ratify the security guarantees in the US Congress.
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