Rubio urges Ukraine and Russia to continue direct peace talks
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone on June 7
with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to discuss efforts aimed at
ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to a statement
from the U.S. State Department.
“The leaders also discussed ongoing efforts to end the war
in Ukraine. Secretary Rubio emphasized the importance of continuing direct
negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace,” the
statement said.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed
talks with Russia at the current level of delegations as pointless.
“In my view, the Russians are ready for exchanges because
they need them. We’re ready for exchanges too, but I consider it meaningless to
continue the Istanbul meetings at a level that resolves nothing,” Zelenskyy
said.
He also noted that Russia is not prepared to agree to a
ceasefire. According to the president, the current negotiating teams have been
unable to reach agreement on the issue.
Istanbul talks on June 2 — details
On June 2, Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul
for a second round of talks. Russian state media reported the meeting lasted
over an hour.
The Russian delegation, as in the first round on May 16, was
led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Ukraine
was represented by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Following the talks, Umerov told journalists that the two
sides agreed only on a new phase of prisoner exchanges. Ukraine also proposed a
full ceasefire and a summit at the level of national leaders. The Ukrainian
delegation is awaiting a response from Russia by the end of the month regarding
that proposal.
Umerov added that both sides would have one week to review
the memorandums they exchanged. Russia had refused to share its document before
the Istanbul meeting, while Ukraine submitted its memorandum in advance.
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