US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has declared this week “very critical” for Russia and Ukraine peace talks.
According to BBC, Rubio revealed that the US Presdient Donald Trump has not imposed any new penalties on Russia because he beleieves that diplomacy could end that ongoing war.
Speaking to NBC's Meet the Press programme, Rubio said, “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic. We're close, but we're not close enough. Throughout this process, it's about determining do both sides really want peace.”
“And how close are they or how far apart they are after 90 days of effort here... that's what we're trying to determine this week,” he added.
Rubio told the media that the US will decide if it is an "endeavour that we want to continue to be involved in" peace talks or not.
Trump believes Ukraine could give up on Crimea
President Trump, on the other hand, has urged Russia to stop attacking Ukraine and suggested that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might give up Crimea for a ceasefire deal, reported Reuters.
Talking to the reportors in New Jersy on Sunday, the Republican president was asked if Zelenskyy could give up Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula seized by Russia in 2014, as part of peace deal he replied, “Oh, I think so, yeah. Look, Crimea was 12 years ago."
He also blamed Democratic presidents for the war and for allowing Russia to take Crimea "without a shot being fired."
The 78-year-old said, “Don't talk to me about Crimea. Talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea. And remember, this is Biden's war. This isn't Trump's war. I came in to try and solve a problem. And the problem is that so many people are being killed."
Notably, the statements from the US president and state secratary came after the Trump and Zeelenskyy meeting on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in a Vatican basilica, Rome while attending Pope Francis funeral.
