Kingston:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that the United States will examine the conditions requested by Russia for agreements with Ukraine, but he emphasized that reaching a peace deal would take time.
“It won’t be simple. It’ll take some time, but at least we’re on that road and we’re talking about these things,” Rubio said during a press conference in Jamaica.
Russia and Ukraine agreed, in separate talks with U.S. envoys held in Saudi Arabia, to halt strikes in the Black Sea, as President Donald Trump continues to push for an end to the war.
The Kremlin noted on Wednesday that reviving a deal on Black Sea shipping is contingent upon “a number of conditions,” and Russia is discussing potential sanctions relief with the United States.
“We’re going to evaluate that. Some of those conditions include sanctions that are not ours. They belong to the European Union,” Rubio explained.
He added that U.S. negotiators would meet to discuss the conditions, “and then we’ll present that to the president, who will ultimately make a decision about what the next step” should be.
“I think it’s a good thing that we have both the Ukrainians and the Russians talking about ceasefires, whether they’re related to energy or potentially in the Black Sea,” Rubio said.
Earlier, Rubio had urged Russia to accept, without preconditions, a proposed 30-day general ceasefire agreed upon by Ukraine.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the call for Russia to accept the ceasefire without conditions, stating that it is “much too early” to consider lifting sanctions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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