The Kyiv Independent reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he could not judge whether Ukraine could reach a negotiated peace, as Kyiv prepared for another round of talks.
The outlet placed Rubio’s remarks at a press availability on the G20 meeting in Atlanta on Oct. 31. The State Department’s schedule listed a press availability that day. The Kyiv Independent quoted Rubio as saying, “I don’t know if negotiated peace is achievable in Ukraine, that’s what we’re trying to find out.”
After two days of G20 talks, ministers planned to use a chairman’s statement instead of issuing a joint communiqué. Several security issues remained without consensus, the Associated Press reported.
The three countries had met three times earlier this year, twice in Abu Dhabi and once in Geneva, without a significant breakthrough, AP reported. The Kyiv Independent has identified territorial questions and security guarantees as unresolved issues. EconoTimes previously covered Rubio’s view that the Donbas dispute was central to peace efforts.
Ukraine’s presidential office said preparations were underway for trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv expected the meeting by Nov. 10, but the statement did not specify a date.
