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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the United States is seeking to arrange another meeting with Russian negotiators to discuss Moscow's terms for ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
This follows a recent dialogue between the two nations, where the U.S. aimed to understand Russia's willingness to resolve the crisis, Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported today.
“We’ve got to get them both to the table, starting with the Russians,” Rubio told Breitbart News in an interview on Monday.
"We met with them last week, and the basic question we asked was, ‘Are you interested in ending this conflict or not?’
They said they would be, under the right conditions.
However, we did not delve into what those conditions were. So, the next step is to meet again with the right group of people present and begin outlining what it would take for Russia to agree to stop the war."
Rubio added that the U.S. would also hold discussions with the Ukrainian side regarding the terms for peace.
In the interview, Rubio also voiced criticism of the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution on Ukraine, calling it "antagonistic" and contrary to the United States' efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
He argued that the resolution undermined U.S. diplomatic attempts to mediate and bring both sides to the negotiating table.
High-level talks between Russian and U.S. officials were recently held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last Tuesday.
The Russian delegation was led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
The U.S. side was represented by Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
According to Ushakov, the primary focus of these discussions was how to initiate negotiations aimed at resolving the Ukraine crisis.
Both sides reportedly assessed the outcomes of the talks as positive. - February 25, 2025