The U.S. secretary of state refuted claims that Ukraine and Europe have been excluded from peace talks with Russia, saying, “we’re just not at that stage yet.”
In an interview posted on the X platform, Marco Rubio said bilateral talks on Tuesday between the U.S. and Russia were about establishing how serious Moscow is about ending the war in Ukraine.
America’s chief diplomat said it is “unfair” to suggest Washington had not consulted with Kyiv and Brussels over the meeting.
“We talked to the Ukrainians throughout this process, and we explained to them very clearly what our intentions were,” he said, highlighting talks between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, as well as with other senior officials.
Rubio also said President Trump had spoken to Zelenskyy “right after he hung up with Putin” after a call last week.
The secretary of state said he had personally spoken to five European foreign ministers after the talks in Riyadh.
“I walked them through what had happened,” he said. “We talked to them before those meetings, the same five, plus the G7, plus the EU.”
He added that European countries would have to be included in any peace process as they have their own sanctions on Russia.
America’s chief diplomat said it is “unfair” to suggest Washington had not consulted with Kyiv and Brussels over the meeting.
“We talked to the Ukrainians throughout this process, and we explained to them very clearly what our intentions were,” he said, highlighting talks between the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, as well as with other senior officials.
Rubio also said President Trump had spoken to Zelenskyy “right after he hung up with Putin” after a call last week.
The secretary of state said he had personally spoken to five European foreign ministers after the talks in Riyadh.
“I walked them through what had happened,” he said. “We talked to them before those meetings, the same five, plus the G7, plus the EU.”
He added that European countries would have to be included in any peace process as they have their own sanctions on Russia.
“They will all have to be consulted at some point; we’re just not at that stage yet,” he said.
On the Riyadh meeting, Rubio said no details were discussed of any criteria for peace, including territorial claims or a moratorium on Ukraine joining NATO.
“The only thing we agreed upon is that we’re going to talk about peace,” he said, going on to argue that Donald Trump is “the only global leader that can make this happen.”
He said the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh was to start a process and to “test” Moscow’s intentions.
“They’re either interested [in peace] or they’re not,” he said. “If their demands for ending the war are maximalist and unrealistic, then I think we have our answer. On the other hand, if there’s any opportunity to pursue peace, we have to do it.”
On the prospects of a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin, Rubio was cautious, saying: “When that meeting happens will largely depend on whether we can make any progress on ending the war.
“There isn’t going to be a meeting until we know what the meeting is going to be about,” he added.
Chances for peace
On the Riyadh meeting, Rubio said no details were discussed of any criteria for peace, including territorial claims or a moratorium on Ukraine joining NATO.
“The only thing we agreed upon is that we’re going to talk about peace,” he said, going on to argue that Donald Trump is “the only global leader that can make this happen.”
He said the purpose of Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh was to start a process and to “test” Moscow’s intentions.
“They’re either interested [in peace] or they’re not,” he said. “If their demands for ending the war are maximalist and unrealistic, then I think we have our answer. On the other hand, if there’s any opportunity to pursue peace, we have to do it.”
On the prospects of a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin, Rubio was cautious, saying: “When that meeting happens will largely depend on whether we can make any progress on ending the war.
“There isn’t going to be a meeting until we know what the meeting is going to be about,” he added.
Diplomatic ties
Rubio made the point that Russia is a major world power and needs to be engaged diplomatically, pointing out that “even in the worst days of the Cold War,” the U.S. and U.S.S.R. communicated.
He said it is only through dialogue that the West can establish whether the Kremlin is sincere in its desire for peace and to ask, “if so, what are your demands? Are your public demands and your private demands different?
“At the end of the day, we have to have relations with Russia whether we like everything they’re doing or not,” Rubio said, emphasizing that Russia is a major military power that is engaged in various theaters globally.
He said that “regularizing” diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow was high on Tuesday’s agenda.
On the subject of a much-touted potential deal with Kyiv over Ukraine’s vast wealth in rare earth minerals, Rubio said such a joint venture would be a form of security guarantee.
“If we’re your partner in an important economic endeavor... we have a vested interest in the security of Ukraine,” he said.
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