US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo:Drew Angerer/Getty Images
A possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will depend on real progress in ending the war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. This was reported by Reuters.
According to him, the issue of the meeting was discussed during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Saudi Arabia. Rubio stressed that Washington wants to understand how serious Moscow is about ending the war before taking further steps.
At the same time, Trump has already said that he may meet with Putin by the end of the month, although there are no specific dates yet.
Against the backdrop of these events, relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deteriorated sharply. Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections”, while the Ukrainian leader accused Trump of being influenced by Russian disinformation.
Washington is also increasing pressure on Kyiv by offering a deal: American investment in Ukrainian natural resources in exchange for long-term security support. According to Rubio, this guarantees the US strategic interest in Ukraine’s stability, but Zelenskyy himself has publicly rejected such an arrangement.
