US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported the first signs of progress in discussing the terms for ending the war in Ukraine. According to him, Washington is seeking options that can provide Ukraine with reliable security guarantees.
In the negotiations between the US and Russia regarding the cessation of the war in Ukraine, progress has been noted, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox News, released on Wednesday, December 3. "What we have been trying to do - and I think we have made some progress in this - is to figure out what the Ukrainians might agree to that would give them security guarantees for the future, so that their country would never again be subjected to invasion; that would allow them not only to rebuild their economy but also to thrive, to be a state with a growing economy," Rubio said.
"Theoretically, if everything is done right, in 10 years Ukraine's GDP could be larger than Russia's," said the head of American diplomacy. According to him, Ukraine and Russia are currently "literally fighting for 30-50 km in the Donetsk region" and the focus now is on protecting Ukraine's long-term sovereignty and independence, "so that it does not become a puppet state, but truly remains independent and sovereign."
Ukraine's Achievements
Marco Rubio reminded that Russia "at one stage" in the early days of its full-scale war controlled significantly more territory in Ukraine than it does now, and noted that Ukrainians "have achieved tremendous success due to their bravery, courage, and how desperately they have fought." But now, he said, the confrontation has turned into a war of attrition, and, "unfortunately, the Russians are showing a willingness to lose 7,000 soldiers a week to achieve their goals."
"Putin said a couple of weeks ago: this may take a long time - we will achieve our goals; it may cost more and take longer than we want, but we will do it. And I think that is how they think. And we are trying to understand if it is possible to end the war in a way that protects Ukraine's future, and that both sides can agree to," added the US Secretary of State.
Meeting with Putin in the Kremlin
The Fox News interview with Marco Rubio came just hours after US Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, where the American plan for ending the war in Ukraine was discussed. According to the Kremlin, no compromise has yet been found on the key issue of territories under Russian occupation. Putin's advisor Yuri Ushakov called the consultations "very useful and constructive," but emphasized that achieving an agreement requires "a lot of work in Washington and Moscow."
At the end of last week, Whitcoff held talks in Florida with the head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, Rustem Umerov. Ukraine and European partners had previously criticized the initial version of the American plan, pointing out that it included excessive demands from Russia. After that, with the assistance of the European Union, an updated version was prepared from Kyiv, which takes into greater account Ukraine's interests.
