Rubio says ‘roadmap’ for renewed Russia–Ukraine talks could emerge within weeks
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a “roadmap” for resuming direct talks between Russia and Ukraine could emerge within the next few weeks.
Rubio called the meetings between American mediators in Moscow and Kyiv “substantive,” saying “new ideas were bandied about, it’s a very difficult conflict.”
For now an extended period we haven’t seen much movement on either side in terms of their willingness to make accommodations, and both side have very bright red lines.
Rubio did not specify what exactly the “red lines” are for Moscow or Kyiv, nor did he offer any other details. He said he did not want to be “overly optimistic” but said he was “also not pessimistic”about the prospects for further negotiations.
U.S. presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow and then Kyiv over the past weekend, marking Washington’s return to the negotiating process as a mediator. Previous talks had broken off in February amid the U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran.
All participants offered cautiously positive assessments after the meetings. Most of the optimism centered on the possibility of returning to three-way talks, an idea both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov raised. Neither side’s comments suggested an end to hostilities was near.
More skeptical forecasts circulated unofficially. The Financial Times reported that the central issue remains the status of the Ukrainian-held part of the Donbas, with neither side willing to compromise on it. The Bloomberg news agency’s sources reported yesterday that Russia plans to intensify strikes on Ukraine over the winter and escalate hybrid attacks in Europe to undermine support for Kyiv. The outlet called serious negotiations “unlikely” before next year.
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