Ball is now in Russia’s court, says Marco Rubio

After the high-level Ukrainian-American talks in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that Russia would agree to a temporary ceasefire.

Rubio said this at a press conference after the meeting in Jeddah, according to The Telegraph.

The US Secretary of State said Ukraine and the US had taken a “positive step” and hopes Russia will do the same.

Rubio said the US would now “take the offer” to Russia, and the “number one” goodwill gesture Moscow can make is to say yes.

“We’re going to tell them this is what’s on the table, Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no,” he said.

“I hope they’re going to say yes, and if they do then I think we made great progress.”

Rubio added that the US-Ukraine minerals deal “was not the subject of talks today”.