U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that reaching a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine must happen soon, emphasizing that Washington is evaluating the viability of continuing its mediation efforts.
Speaking to NBC News, Rubio stated:
“We cannot continue to devote time and resources to this effort if it is not going to succeed.”
Rubio added that over the past week, U.S. officials have been working to assess how close the two sides are to a potential agreement, and whether negotiations are far enough along to warrant further American involvement. He did not specify a timeline for when the Trump administration expects to see tangible progress.
Kremlin Signals Willingness for Direct Talks
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sunday that efforts to resolve the conflict are ongoing, although he stressed that such diplomacy must occur “in secret” rather than in public view.
Speaking to the Sputnik News Agency, Peskov noted that U.S. President Donald Trump’s understanding of the Ukraine conflict aligns closely with Russia’s perspective, saying:
“There are many elements that completely coincide between the views of Moscow and Washington at present.”
On Saturday, the Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had expressed readiness to engage in direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions.
Peskov revealed that during talks with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Putin reiterated Russia’s willingness to resume negotiations. According to the Interfax News Agency, the meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours.
Background
Trump’s administration has sent Steve Witkoff to Moscow four times for direct discussions with Russian leadership, underscoring the significance Washington places on facilitating a peaceful resolution to the nearly three-year-long conflict.
While diplomatic channels appear active, the prospect of a final peace agreement remains uncertain, as both Washington and Moscow await concrete steps from Ukraine and further developments on the ground.
