The United States did not discuss the occupied territories in its talks with Russia. This was not the purpose of the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Catherine Herridge.
The goal was to understand whether the Russians were genuinely interested in discussing peace. If so, then the peace process could begin.
The US Secretary of State also stated that he did not consider Ukraine’s interests to have been neglected, as President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, a bipartisan delegation of congressmen, the Secretary of the Treasury, and now Special Representative Kellogg had spoken to the Ukrainian authorities.
EXCLUSIVE: Our full, unedited interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio(@SecRubio) on his first 30 days leading the Department.
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) February 21, 2025
Restarting U.S./Russia relations following the Biden Administration, direct engagement with Ukraine, U.S. proposal for Gaza, preventing Iranian… pic.twitter.com/cxkHmNZWw0
Rubio argued that it was absurd to suggest that Ukraine or Europe had been excluded from participating in the negotiations. The Secretary of State added that all parties should consult on certain issues, including sanctions, and that there should be a consensus among all parties on these matters. He assured that Washington is not currently considering lifting restrictive measures against Russia, but even if it does, EU sanctions will remain in place, and the issue of lifting them will be considered by the Oremo.
“I can’t say right now whether they [the Russians] are serious about peace or not,” he said, adding that evidence was needed.
According to Rubio, the only agreement reached was that peace talks would continue. The seriousness of their intentions to establish peace depends on Russia’s future actions.
“What they offer. What they want to discuss. What they want to consider. That will determine whether they are ready for peace,” the Secretary of State said.
- This week, the US arranged a meeting with the Russians in Saudi Arabia. It was scheduled for the same dates as the Ukrainian president’s planned visit to Riyadh. Ukraine was unaware of this meeting and was not invited.
- As a result, Volodymyr Zelenskyy cancelled his trip to Saudi Arabia, criticising the decision to discuss Ukraine without Ukraine’s involvement.
- Following this, and after Kyiv refused to sign a minerals agreement without security guarantees, Donald Trump called Zelenskyy a dictator and stated that Ukraine needed elections - despite the fact that, under current legislation, elections cannot be held until the end of martial law.