Timeline for ending war depends on Ukraine, Russia, European allies — U.S. Secretary of State Rubio

He made this statement during a briefing.

“This war is complex. As you can see, it’s now going on three years. And I never said it was going to be simple. There’s a lot of work to be done with both sides, in particular the Russian side, which we haven’t talked to in years… We’re going to – we’re trying to achieve peace. We’re committed to trying to achieve peace as long as it takes,” said the U.S. Secretary of State.

He added that he cannot guarantee reaching a peace agreement “in a week or a month.”

“I just can’t put a timeframe on it because it doesn’t depend on us. It depends on the Russians and it depends on the Ukrainians. It also depends on our partners in Europe who have sanctions that will have to be taken into account, I believe, as part of any final deal,” Rubio said.

The official also commented on the possibility of moving from technical-level negotiations to a higher level:

“I think you have to make more progress on a technical level at this point, but we’ll see. We’re going to analyze it,” Rubio responded.

The Secretary of State also emphasized his desire to speak with the negotiation team that participated in the meetings in Saudi Arabia:

“I need to hear from them directly a little bit more about how it went, and then we’ll present that. We’ll meet with the team and we’ll present that to the President, and then decide on a path of what the next steps are,” he concluded.

March 25 negotiations in Saudi Arabia and ceasefire conditions

On March 25, a new round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and American delegations took place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow agreed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a ceasefire regime concerning energy infrastructure could be introduced as early as March 25, and this issue has been coordinated with the United States. He also believes that there will be a short window of opportunity from the start of the ceasefire regime to the conclusion of a peace agreement with Russia, as the Kremlin constantly violates agreements.

On March 26, the Ukrainian General Staff denied Russian claims that Kyiv had allegedly violated the terms of the ceasefire concerning energy facilities.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, stated that the ceasefire regime between Ukraine and Russia regarding energy facilities was officially agreed upon in Riyadh on March 23 and 24, and that a partial 30-day truce began at that time.

U.S. President Donald Trump believes that Russia wants to "see an end" to the war in Ukraine and sign a peace agreement, but they are likely "dragging their feet."

It was also noted on March 26 that Russia’s conditions for agreeing to a ceasefire regime in the Black Sea include the lifting of European sanctions.

Later, the Ukrainian Presidential Office stated that the Russian side, during negotiations with the U.S. in Riyadh, refused to discuss stopping attacks on civilian infrastructure.