U.S. committed to helping end Ukraine war but no quick deal, Rubio says after meeting with Russia’s Lavrov
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday the Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but acknowledged there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.
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Rubio, who earlier held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow and Kyiv should have the incentive to end a “very blood war” that devastated both sides.
Rubio alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled, calling them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted President Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”
“That’s been the challenge, an end that both sides can accept. And we’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself,” Rubio told reporters.
Lavrov largely ignored questions from reporters after the meeting. The Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he emphasized to Rubio “the unacceptability of further arming” Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia’s “strategic defeat.”
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Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness for “a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict” and commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska last year, the Russian ministry said.
The Kremlin said that it was not overly optimistic about the prospects of a quick deal to end the conflict, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that he hoped U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would come to Moscow when they are available, and that Russia would continue dialogue with the U.S.
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Washington’s military support for Ukraine remains unchanged, with arms transfers continuing through NATO’s PURL initiative, Rubio said.
“There’s been no change to our policy in that regard. We want a peace deal. We want the war to end,” he added.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of an annual gathering by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila.
Three days of closed-door talks that started Tuesday have focused on the resurgent war in the Middle East, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and, closer to home, the South China Sea, where a new clash flared Thursday.
U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war have dropped off as indirect talks stalled and the Iran war took center stage.
Expectations for renewed discussions about ending the war comes as Ukraine has made significant progress this year but a rift between defense leaders has threatened to derail its efforts. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has undertaken a major government reshuffle, including its top military brass.
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