Rubio reveals Jeddah talks discussed territorial concessions, ramps up pressure on Russia to accept ceasefire

The Guardian reported U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will engage in discussions with Russian officials today.

Speaking on the matter, Rubio expressed hope for a constructive response from Moscow and called on Russia to cease all hostilities.

“There is no military solution to this conflict,” he emphasized.

Rubio also confirmed that Tuesday’s talks in Jeddah discussed "what a negotiation process would look like" and included "conversations about territorial concessions."

“If they [Russia] say no then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,” he told reporters.

Rubio: Ukraine needs a sufficient deterrent against future attacks

According to him, Washington is considering ensuring the long-term security of Ukraine, Sky News quoted him as saying.

"We're looking at securing Ukraine's long-term security - what is the point of spending all this time to get a ceasefire and a negotiated end of the war to see it respark up again in six years, four years, three years? We're not interested in that"  he said.

The U.S. Secretary of State also emphasized: Kyiv needs "sufficient deterrent against future attacks, future invasions."

“Every country in the world has a right to defend itself. Our hope is that we can stop all these hostilities and get to a negotiating table where both sides, over some period of time, with a lot of hard work, can find a mutually acceptable outcome. That, in the case of Ukraine, secures their long-term prosperity and security,” Rubio said.

At the same time, the politician said he would not characterize the agreement on Ukrainian rare earth minerals as a guarantee of security for Kyiv.

• The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “the ball is now in Russia’s court” after Ukraine agreed to a proposed ceasefire.