US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the role of US President Donald Trump in the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine, after the diplomat held talks with Russian officials.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) said President Donald Trump wants to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
CNN on February 18 quoted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying that only President Donald Trump can "bring the war (in Ukraine) to an end."
The statement was made after Mr. Rubio attended a high-level dialogue lasting about 4 and a half hours on February 18 between the US and Russia in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
“In just a few months, President Trump has shifted the entire global conversation from not whether the war will end, but how it will end. Only President Trump can do that,” the diplomat said.
President Trump: "Russia defeated Hitler, Napoleon", but Mr. Putin wants to end the conflict in Ukraine
The US secretary of state added that Mr Trump wanted the war in Ukraine to end in a way that was “fair, lasting, sustainable and acceptable” to all parties involved and that US and Russian officials were united on this goal.
Additionally, he said the European Union would "have to come to the table at some point", as it has sanctioned Russia over the war in Ukraine.
Mr. Trump speaks at an event in Washington DC.
According to Mr. Rubio, the US and Russia agreed on four principles at the dialogue, including re-establishing the functions of the respective missions in Washington and Moscow, appointing a high-level group to support negotiations and resolving the conflict in Ukraine in a sustainable and acceptable way for all parties involved.
In addition, the two sides will begin to discuss and consider geopolitical and economic cooperation that could lead to an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In addition, the officials participating in the talks will continue to coordinate so that this process develops in an effective way.
According to Secretary of State Rubio, "special opportunities" could open up for both the US and Russia if the war in Ukraine ends.
After the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the fact that both sides listened to each other. "I have every reason to believe that the American side understands my point of view," The Guardian quoted him as saying.
He said the two sides had agreed to ensure "the appointment of ambassadors to both countries happens as quickly as possible" and to remove barriers "that over many years, and primarily the (former US President Joe) Biden administration over the last four years, have built between our diplomatic missions".
According to him, the process of Russian-American dialogue on Ukraine will begin "as soon as possible", with the appointment of representatives. In addition, he mentioned the dialogue on "creating conditions" for broader US-Russian cooperation, including "restoring consultations on geopolitical issues" and "removing artificial barriers on the path of mutually beneficial economic cooperation."
On the Ukraine issue, Lavrov said there was a "mutual desire" to find a solution and that Russia would wait for the US to appoint representatives. "After that, relevant consultations will begin and will be held on a regular basis," he said.
Emergency European Summit: Which countries promised to send troops to Ukraine?
Responding to a question about the possibility of NATO sending troops to Ukraine, he rejected the proposal, calling it "completely unacceptable."
"President Putin has repeatedly stressed that NATO's expansion and annexation of Ukraine is a direct threat to the Russian Federation and our sovereignty," he reiterated.
Speaking while visiting Türkiye, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the US-Russia dialogue on the war in Ukraine without Ukraine's participation.
Any negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine must be "fair" and involve European countries, including Türkiye, he said.
“Ukraine, Europe in a broad sense – and that includes the European Union (EU), Turkey and the UK – should engage in dialogue and develop the necessary security guarantees with the United States regarding the fate of our part of the world,” he said.
According to AFP, Mr. Zelensky decided to postpone his visit to Saudi Arabia until March 10 after the above dialogue between the US and Russia, although he previously planned to visit this country after Türkiye.
Tensions over the seas
TASS news agency on January 18 quoted a decree signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin showing that Russia has canceled the agreement with Ukraine on measures to ensure maritime safety in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait. The above agreement was signed in Moscow on March 20, 2012.
In another development, Russian presidential aide and chairman of the Maritime Committee Nikolay Patrushev accused Britain, along with NATO allies, under the guise of support, of trying to force Ukraine into a long-term confrontation with Russia and "turn the Black Sea into NATO's internal territory".
"Today, under the guise of supporting Ukraine, Britain, together with other NATO countries, is trying to take Ukrainian land for a long-term confrontation with Russia and turn the Black and Baltic Seas into NATO's internal waters,"
Russia can keep the initiative in Ukraine for another year
Mr Patrushev said that isolating Russia from the sea routes to the West, including the Black and Baltic seas, had been a long-standing ambition of London since the 18th century.
Britain and Ukraine did not immediately comment on the information.
Russia seeks to surround Ukrainian troops
On February 18, Ukrainska Pravda quoted an analysis by the DeepState project (Ukraine) saying that on the way to the village of Kostiantynopil in Donetsk province, Russian forces approached the village of Dachne and may have surrounded the village.
"The enemy has advanced near the villages of Ulakly, Burlatske and Andriivka," according to the analysis.
In early 2025, Russian troops began to form an arc enveloping Ukrainian forces in the vicinity of Dachne. In February, they encircled Ukrainian units between the northern flank (the villages of Andriivka and Shevchenko) and the southern flank (the villages of Ulakly and Zelenivka).
A source close to the Ukrainian defense forces said Russian troops arrived on the outskirts of Kostiantynopil on February 16.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on February 18 that its forces had taken control of the village of Yampolivka in Donetsk.
On the same day, The Kyiv Independent quoted a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force saying that Russian forces launched 176 drones into Ukraine.
Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 103 UAVs over Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions.
In addition, 67 UAVs disappeared from radar without causing any damage. The attack killed 2 people and injured 26.
Russia has not commented on the developments. Russia and Ukraine have always denied any accusations of targeting civilians in the conflict.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chien-su-ukraine-ngay-1091-chi-ong-trump-co-the-cham-dut-xung-dot-ukraine-185250218220938542.htm
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