Rubio said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia could resume in the coming weeks
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that a roadmap for resuming negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, with Washington acting as a mediator, could be developed within the next few weeks. At the same time, he acknowledged that the parties are not currently showing sufficient willingness to compromise.
The Secretary of State described the recent talks involving the U.S. President’s special envoys in Moscow and Kyiv as “substantive.”
However, he declined to assess them as successful or unsuccessful.
“I don’t want to assess them (the talks—ed.) as good or bad, productive or unproductive, other than to say that they were substantive—new ideas were discussed, because this is a very complex conflict,” Rubio said.
According to him, new approaches and ideas were discussed during the meetings, but it is still too early to speak of a significant breakthrough.
Rubio noted that the U.S. has been monitoring the parties’ attempts to find a compromise for quite some time, but so far has not seen substantial progress regarding Ukraine’s and Russia’s willingness to compromise on their positions.
“As you know, we have been monitoring this for quite some time now, and so far we do not see significant progress on either side in terms of willingness to make concessions, and both sides are still adhering to very clear ‘red lines,’” the Secretary of State emphasized.
Thus, the fundamental positions of Kyiv and Moscow remain the key obstacle to resuming negotiations.
Despite the lack of significant progress, Rubio believes that recent contacts could lay the groundwork for resuming the negotiation process with U.S. mediation.
He urged people not to view the situation as either overly optimistic or overly pessimistic.
“So I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but neither do I want to be pessimistic, in the sense that, in my opinion, over the next few weeks, there is an opportunity to develop a roadmap for resuming negotiations and, perhaps, reach a conclusion that will be acceptable to both sides, because that is exactly what is needed to end the conflict—both sides must agree to it,” the official said.
Thus, the U.S. anticipates that a roadmap for resuming negotiations could be prepared within the coming weeks, but the final outcome will depend on the willingness of Ukraine and Russia to agree to mutually acceptable terms.
Rubio told reporters this during a visit to Colombia.
During a phone call with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on September 8, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that trade and economic relations between the U.S. and Russia could be significantly restored if the war against Ukraine ends as soon as possible.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin held a phone call on September 8 that lasted exactly one hour. The parties discussed the results of the trip by U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Kyiv and Moscow, assessing the visit positively and agreeing to continue working in this direction.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with U.S. President’s representatives Steve Witkopf and Jared Kushner.
The part of Donbas controlled by Ukraine remains a key obstacle and the main “red line” in the negotiation process aimed at ending the war. Despite the visit to Kyiv by U.S. President’s Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with updated peace proposals, differences regarding the future of this region remain fundamental. Zelenskyy told Witkoff that he would not cede any territory to Russia under any circumstances.
Following the meeting in Kyiv, Witkoff announced peace talks in a Ukraine-Europe-U.S. format.
In addition to issues regarding the cessation of hostilities and security guarantees, the parties discussed the country’s post-war recovery and the mobilization of resources for reconstruction, as well as economic guarantees intended to prevent the recurrence of war.
