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Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed peace talks in Geneva as “productive and meaningful” as the US continues to try to bring an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met senior officials from Ukraine and its European allies in Switzerland over the weekend.
“So I think the takeaway from it is, I think this is a very, very meaningful, I would say, probably best meeting and day we’ve had so far in this entire process, going back to when we first came to office in January,” Rubio told reporters.
Rubio said he was “comfortable” a deal could now be reached.
“Obviously, we now have to take what we come up with, if we can reach that agreement with the Ukrainian side, to the Russian side. They have to agree to this in order for this to work.”
The deadline to finish negotiations is “as soon as possible,” Rubio added, with “substantial” progress towards agreement.
“Between today and the time that we deal with this, more people are going to die. Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible. But we need a little more time.”
Rubio also said any deal would have to ensure Ukraine feels “safe and it is never going to be invaded or attacked again.”
Rubio’s upbeat assessment was shared by a senior Ukrainian official, Andriy Yermak, who described a “very productive first session” in a post on X.
He said another meeting would take place “very soon” and thanked President Trump and the US “for their commitment to bring peace.”
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky said his country risked losing its dignity and freedom or the backing of Washington if it accepted President Trump’s new plan.
In recent weeks, President Trump has expressed growing frustration at his inability to break the deadlock and secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
At the end of October, as he headed to Malaysia for a week-long Asia tour, the President said he would not meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, until a peace deal is reached.
“I’m going to have to know that we’re going to make a deal,” Trump said while speaking to journalists on Air Force One as he made his way to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for a week-long Asia tour.
“I’m not going to be wasting my time. I’ve always had a very great relationship with Vladimir Putin, but this has been very disappointing.”
President Trump cancelled a peace summit in Budapest with Putin, in a clear sign of his frustration at the lack of progress towards peace.
“I thought this would have gone long before peace in the Middle East,” Trump said.
After cancelling the summit, President Trump announced fresh sanctions on Russia, targeting its two largest oil-exporting companies, as a result of “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.”
During his recent meeting with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, President Trump also discussed China’s purchases of Russian oil. Trump has attempted to put pressure on Moscow by persuading significant consumers of Russian energy like China and India to dial back their purchases.
