Rubio on peace talks: We’ve made progress, but hardest issues are always come last

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has made significant progress in talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. At the same time, he said there is still work to do.

He made the remarks while speaking to reporters, The Guardian and Sky News reported, Censor.NET informs.

Mapping out both sides’ positions

The top US diplomat said the administration has put "an enormous amount of time and energy" into ending Russia’s war against Ukraine and is "trying to figure out what Ukraine can live with and what Russia can live with."

"(We want, – ed.) to determine both sides’ positions and see whether we can bring them closer together to reach some agreement. Two things are needed for a negotiated settlement: both sides have to get something, and both sides have to give something. And we are trying to figure out what Russia can give and what it expects to get. What Ukraine can give and what it can expect to get. Ultimately, the decision will be for Ukraine and Russia, not the United States," the secretary of state said.

Progress made

Rubio added that "this is not about imposing an agreement on anyone," but about trying to find where interests can "overlap."

"I think we have made progress, but we still have work to do, and obviously the hardest issues are always last," he said.

Talks in Miami

Earlier, the media reported that US and Russian representatives are to meet in Miami this weekend as part of the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev will visit Miami on December 20-21 for talks with US President’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on the US "peace plan".
On December 18, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andrii Hnatov left for Florida.