‘Testing “uses if Russia is seriously on peace in Ukraine, says Marco Rubio | Ukraine

The United States will know in a few weeks if Russia is seriously pursuing peace with UkraineThe secretary of state said, warning that Donald Trump was not “will fall into the trap of infinite negotiations” with Moscow.

“We are testing to see if the Russians are interested in peace”, Marco Rubio He told Journalists in Brussels after the talks with NATO allies. “Their actions – not their words, their actions – will determine whether they are serious or not, and we intend to find out first rather than after.

“The Russians and (Vladimir) Putin will have to make a decision that they are seriously on peace or not,” he added. “If it is a delay tactic, it is not interested in this. We will know it soon soon, within a few weeks, not in the months, if Russia It is serious about peace or not. “

Rubio also seemed to hit a more understanding tone towards Kyiv, observing that “the Ukrainians showed the desire to enter, for example, in a ceased fire”.

US officials seem to grow more and more impatient due to the lack of progress in the current peace negotiations. While Trump continues to publicly suggest that Putin wants to end the war, there is a growing recognition within the American administration which is unlikely that the Kremlin would lower himself from his maximum requests before they commit themselves in peace conditions that would actually dismantle Ukraine as an independent and functioning state and will firmly attract him in the sphere of influence of Russia.

Russia previously rejected An American proposal for a ceased the full and immediate fire of 30 days, which Ukraine had accepted. In the meantime, neither party seems to join a previous agreement to temporarily stop strikes on energy infrastructures during that period.

The European allies urged Washington to take a harder position on Moscow and push for a serious commitment for a ceased the fire, with some who suggest that a clear deadline should be fixed.

Moscow “owes an answer to the United States”, who had “worked very hard to develop an effort of mediation and a proposal for ceased fire,” said French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, in Brussels, standing next to the British Foreign Minister, David Lammy.

“(Putin) could accept a ceased the fire now, continues to bomb Ukraine, its civilian population, its energy supplies,” said Lammy. “We see you, Vladimir Putin, we know what you are doing.”

There was a similar rhetoric among the other European allies of Ukraine, with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baertbock, who rejected Putin’s speech on negotiations as “nothing but empty promises”. He accused the Russian leader of “playing for time by raising more and more new requests”.

The Kremlin this week sent an correspondent to Washington, scoring the first time from the start of the general scale of Russia that a high Russian official had traveled to the United States for the interviews with the American counterparts.

Kirill Dmitriev met Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Senior Councilor on negotiations in Russia, as well as Rubio To the White House on Wednesday. Dmitriev described meetings as proof of a “positive dynamic” between the two countries and supported progress towards peace in Ukraine.

Rubio, the best diplomat in the United States, took a more cautious position, saying that Dmitriev would give a clear message to Moscow. “He will resume some messages and the message is that the United States must know if you are serious or not on peace,” he said.

Trump previously suggested It would arise a 25% or even 50% rate on the countries that buy Russian oil if he had concluded that Putin was hindering peace interviews.

Meanwhile in Ukraine, a local official died in the central city of Dnipro in an apparent automotive attack. “The official was killed in the attack. His wife was injured and is currently in the hospital,” said the prosecutor’s office in a note.

The propozytsiya political party identified the victim like Yuriy Fedko, a member of the DNIPRO City Council, and said he died while receiving care in the hospital.

From the Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, Kiev has claimed the responsibility of a series of assassination attempts that aim for military officials and pro-Kremlin public characters. However, it remains rare that a Ukrainian official is killed in such attacks.