U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a recent meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "promising" while acknowledging the complexities of ending the ongoing war.
Speaking on CBS’s "Face the Nation" on March 16, Rubio said the discussions provided insight into whether Russia is genuinely considering a ceasefire or merely stalling for time.
Rubio outlined the U.S. administration’s two-phase approach to ending Russia's war against Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
"Plan A is, get the shooting to stop so that we can move to Plan B, phase two, which is have everybody at a table, maybe not- maybe with some shuttle diplomacy, to figure out a way to permanently end this war in a way that's enduring and it respects everybody's needs and so forth," he said.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
The secretary emphasized that the priority remains achieving a ceasefire before beginning broader negotiations for a permanent resolution. However, he acknowledged that even reaching a ceasefire would be difficult, given the complexity of the battlefield and the interests at stake.
On March 11, Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the U.S. during talks in Jeddah, after which Washington resumed military and intelligence support for Ukraine.
Russia said it is ready to agree to the U.S.-proposed ceasefire in Ukraine but demands guarantees that Kyiv will not mobilize or train troops or receive military aid during the truce, accoding to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
While Rubio refrained from disclosing details of the negotiations, he remained cautiously optimistic. He said that President Donald Trump is committed to bringing the war to an end and is actively working to ensure a cessation of hostilities. "No one is saying that that second part is easy, but we can't get even to that second part until we get past the first part," he said, underlining the administration’s strategy.
The secretary also highlighted the need for diplomatic engagement and potential concessions from both sides to achieve a lasting peace. "This war cannot continue. The president has been clear about that, and he's doing everything he can to bring it to an end," he concluded.
Yana Prots
