Rubio states negative dynamics around war in Ukraine

The United States remains ready to participate in diplomatic efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, but current developments do not bring the parties closer to a settlement. This was stated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a conversation with journalists on October 6 in Reykjavik.

Rubio emphasized that Washington is currently focused primarily on the possibility of achieving a cessation of the war. According to him, the US is ready to play a constructive role if there is a real path to an agreement between the parties.

"We see that everything is now moving in the wrong direction," — said the American Secretary of State.

At the same time, Rubio did not announce a new peace plan or a specific diplomatic mechanism that the US intends to launch in the near future. His statement reflects Washington's assessment of the current situation: the American administration remains ready to mediate, but does not yet see movement towards a final settlement.

The statement was made during Rubio's visit to Iceland. According to the State Department's official schedule, on October 6 the Secretary of State held talks with Iceland's Foreign Minister Thordur Katrin Gunnarsdottir and Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir, after which he participated in a joint press availability. Iceland was Rubio's first stop on his trip to Europe on October 5-8, which also includes visits to Greece and Portugal.

During his conversation with journalists, Rubio also touched on the issue of Ukraine's possible NATO membership. According to him, this topic is currently not at the center of the American administration's agenda: the priority is to end the war. At the same time, the Secretary of State did not give an unambiguous answer regarding the future prospects of Ukraine's membership in the Alliance.

Rubio's current assessment came less than two weeks after his statements about the possibility of more limited agreements between Kyiv and Moscow. On September 23, the Secretary of State said that Ukraine and Russia had expressed interest in certain options for cessation of strikes, which could concern energy and grain transportation.

Rubio noted then that such an agreement would not in itself end the war, but could become a basis for broader agreements. According to him, the issue of limited cessation of strikes was discussed in contacts of the American side with both Kyiv and Moscow.

Rubio called the different significance of energy infrastructure for the two sides a separate problem. Ukraine seeks to protect its energy system ahead of the winter period, while Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refining and oil and gas facilities affect one of Russia's key sources of income. Because of this, according to the Secretary of State's assessment, achieving even a limited energy agreement is not easy.

Rubio also said that Washington does not count on ending the war solely by military means and believes that ultimately it must end with an agreement reached through negotiations. The US, according to him, is ready to facilitate this process, but any such agreement requires the consent of both parties.

Thus, the Secretary of State's new statement does not mean Washington's withdrawal from mediation efforts. Rubio confirmed the US readiness to participate in the search for an agreement, while acknowledging that the current dynamics of the war, according to the American side's assessment, are moving in the opposite direction.

Based on materials: DWS News, US State Department