U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on February 16 that Ukraine and Europe would be part of any “real talks” to end the long-running conflict with Moscow, stressing that talks between the United States and Russia this week were a chance to see whether President Vladimir Putin was serious about peace.
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| US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed European concerns about being left out of initial talks between Russia and the US, which are expected to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. (Source: Reuters) |
The US secretary of state also dismissed European concerns about being left out of initial US-Russia talks, scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, despite a contrary opinion expressed by the President's Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine Keith Kellogg at the recent Munich Security Conference.
In an interview with CBS on February 16, Mr. Rubio said that the negotiation process has not really begun yet and if the discussions progress, Ukraine and other European countries will not be left out.
"President Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week. Mr. Putin expressed his desire for peace and the President also wanted to end this conflict in a sustainable way and protect Ukraine's sovereignty," the US Secretary of State emphasized, but also affirmed that "a phone call cannot bring peace".
According to Mr. Rubio, the composition of the Russian delegation has not yet been determined.
Asked whether he discussed lifting sanctions on Russia during his February 15 call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Rubio declined to provide further details, saying only that the two sides "did not go into details."
After the call, Moscow said the two sides discussed removing "unilateral barriers" imposed by the previous US administration in relations with Russia.
US Secretary of State Rubio also said he had mentioned the "difficult" operating conditions of the US Embassy in Moscow to Foreign Minister Lavrov, and emphasized that if the peace process in Ukraine is to progress, both Russia and the US need to have effective embassies on each other's territory.
The talks are expected to take place in Saudi Arabia as Washington seeks to reach a deal with Kiev to “open up” Ukraine’s natural resources to US investment.
In an interview with NBC broadcast on February 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked whether minerals in Russian-controlled areas would be given to Mr. Putin.
However, US President Donald Trump announced on the same day that his Russian counterpart had no intention of controlling all of Ukraine, and affirmed that the Ukrainian leader would also participate in negotiations to end the conflict.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ngoai-truong-my-ukraine-va-chau-au-se-tham-gia-vao-cac-cuoc-dam-phan-hoa-binh-thuc-su-304576.html
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