At the G-7 meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the European Union's top diplomat Kaia Kallas argued over increasing US pressure on Russia and aid for Ukraine, Axios reported, citing sources.
According to sources, Kallas criticized Rubio for Washington's failure to increase pressure on Moscow, reminding the Secretary of State of his own words from a year earlier about the US's readiness to take such measures.
“A year has passed and Russia has done nothing. When will your patience run out?“, Kallas asked Rubio.
“We are doing everything we can to end the war. If you think you can do better, go ahead. "We're going to back off," the US secretary of state replied, raising his voice. According to Axios sources, Rubio was irritated.
The US secretary of state said that Washington is trying to negotiate with both sides, but is only helping one - Ukraine - by providing weapons, intelligence and other support, Axios sources reported.
After that discussion, several European ministers intervened, saying they would like the US to continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the source said. According to two other sources, Rubio and Kallas briefly adjourned at the end of the meeting to resolve their differences.
Speaking to reporters after the G7 meeting, Rubio denied any disagreements or criticism, according to Axios. "Nobody is yelling, raising their voices or saying anything negative," the secretary of state said.
After the G7 meeting, Rubio told reporters that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky lied when he linked US security guarantees to the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Donbas. "That's a lie. I saw him say that, and it's a shame he said it because he knows it's not true and he wasn't told that," the secretary of state said in response to a related question. According to Rubio, the Americans made it clear to Zelensky that the guarantees would only come into effect after the conflict ends.
As Axios notes, European leaders are unhappy with the stagnation in the negotiation process on Ukraine. Although the Ukrainian delegation met with the US delegation in Miami in March, no significant progress was made, the publication writes. The Russian side announced a pause in the trilateral negotiations due to the US focus on the conflict in the Middle East.