The United States does not believe that Russia and Ukraine are close to ending the war through negotiations. This was stated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a press conference in Atlanta after the meeting of foreign ministers of the G-20. “I do not know if a negotiated peace in Ukraine is possible. That is what we are trying to determine“, Rubio said.
He specified that Washington is not claiming that it is on the verge of a peace agreement, although the US administration has devoted significant attention and high-ranking representatives to diplomatic efforts. The meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta ended without a joint communique due to disagreements on key international issues.
Rubio: The war is getting bloodier
The US Secretary of State said that the US goal is to end an “extremely bloody“ war. According to him, Kiev continues to be subjected to heavy attacks on energy infrastructure, and the number of civilian casualties is increasing.
Rubio also said that about 20,000 Russians are dying every month. The number was presented as an estimate by the US Secretary of State, without specifying a methodology or independent source for the calculation. He added that with each passing month the number of victims is growing, and the reconstruction of Ukraine is becoming more difficult and more expensive.
In his speech, Rubio also emphasized the importance of Russia's nuclear arsenal. According to him, this factor often remains in the background, although it requires the US and Russia to maintain at least minimal channels of communication in order to avoid a dangerous escalation.
Brief conversation with Lavrov in Atlanta
Rubio reported that he had spoken briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. He specified that the two did not hold an official bilateral meeting, but discussed the possibility of the US and Russian presidents talking during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November.
According to Rubio, there is no specific commitment to such a meeting. However, he defended maintaining contact with Moscow as a necessary condition for a possible mediation role for Washington. "How can you reach an agreement if you don't talk to them and interact with them?" the US Secretary of State said.
Sources: apnews.com, afp.com