JAKARTA - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday Ukraine and Europe would be part of a "real negotiations" to end the war with Russia, signaling that this week's US negotiations with Russia were an opportunity to see how seriously Russian President Vladimir Putin was about peace.
America's top diplomat has raised concerns Europe will issue initial negotiations between Russia and the United States that will take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days.
In an interview with CBS Foreign Minister Rubio said the negotiation process had not yet started seriously, and if negotiations continued, Ukraine and other European countries would be involved.
"President Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin last week, and during the talks, Vladimir Putin expressed interest in peace, and the president expressed his desire to end the conflict in a long-lasting way and protect Ukraine's sovereignty," Foreign Minister Rubio said at the "Meet the Press" event on CBS.
"Now, it is clear that it must be followed up with action, so a few weeks and days ahead will determine whether this is serious or not. In the end, one phone call will not produce peace," he said.
Previously, US officials were reported to have submitted questionnaires to European officials asking, among others, how many troops they could contribute to enforce a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.
Meanwhile, US envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz are scheduled to leave for Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening, Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News.
Foreign Minister Rubio noted that he would remain in Saudi Arabia because of official travel that had been previously regulated. The composition of the Russian delegation has not been determined, he said.
Foreign Minister Rubio said Ukraine and other European countries would be included in any meaningful negotiations.
"In the end, this will reach a certain point - if this is a real negotiation and we haven't got there - but if that happens, Ukraine should be involved because they are the ones being invaded, and European countries must be involved because they have also sanctioned Putin and Russia," explained Foreign Minister Rubio.
"We haven't got there yet," he said.
Last week, President Trump made a phone call with President Putin. After that, he made a phone call with President Zelensky. He said the two wanted peace.
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"I think he wants to end it, and they want to end it quickly. Both," he said, adding "President Zelensky also wants to end it."
President Trump's unilateral approach to President Putin on Wednesday, accompanied by concessions over Ukraine's main demands, raised concerns for Kyiv and European allies in NATO who said they were worried the White House might make a deal without them.
President Trump also stressed that he would involve Ukraine and other parties in peace negotiations with Russia.
"They are part of it. We will involve Ukraine, and we will involve Russia, and we will involve other people, many people," said President Trump.
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