The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated on Sunday that the next few days will be crucial in determining Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sincerity about achieving peace in Ukraine.
This comes as US officials travel to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Russian officials to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Rubio downplayed European concerns about being excluded from the initial talks, emphasizing that the negotiation process has not yet begun in earnest.
However, US officials did distribute a questionnaire to European officials, inquiring about their potential troop contributions to enforcing a peace agreement.
Notably, European allies were not invited to the Saudi Arabia talks.
According to Rubio, President Trump’s recent conversation with Putin indicated the Russian leader’s interest in peace, while Trump expressed his desire for a lasting resolution that protects Ukrainian sovereignty.
Rubio cautioned that “one phone call does not make peace,” and the coming days will reveal Putin’s true commitment to peace”.