Russia-Ukraine war: Marco Rubio sees 'progress' in peace talks, Kremlin says sides remain deadlocked over occupied territories

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it is the "ideal time" for Moscow and Kiev to end the war in Ukraine. "And if there is a way to bridge the divide between the two sides, we’re the only ones in the world that can do it," he assured in an interview, as the U.S. delegation returns from Russia after a private meeting with Vladimir Putin.

In a conversation with Fox News, Rubio assured that "we’ve made some progress," but that "we’re not there yet."

The Cuban-American secretary insisted that though the United States has been working for 10 months as mediator, Russia and Ukraine are the ones who must put an end to the war: "Ultimately it’s going to be up to them. If they decide they don’t want to end the war, then the war will continue."

On the Russian side, he assured, everything is in the hands of their president: "Only Putin can end this war on the Russian side."

Washington is holding bilateral meetings with teams from both nations. The latest was in Moscow, between the Russian president and U.S. emissaries Steve Witkoff, special envoy for peace missions, and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump. Just two days earlier, Rubio himself participated in a meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida.

The key question for peace, according to Rubio

During the recent interview, the secretary of state explained some of the arguments why the two warring sides should reach an agreement. On the one hand, he considered it unrealistic that Russia could sustain the war effort "for four or five years."

Moreover, he noted that Kremlin troops have lost ground: "If you look at what that map looked like in March or April after the invasion, or May, three months after the invasion, and what it looks like now, the Ukrainians have pushed the Russians way back from where they were."

"But there’s also the reality this has now become a war of attrition, and sadly the Russians have shown their willingness to sacrifice 7,000 soldiers a week," he added, noting that the Ukrainians will not receive U.S. support indefinitely either.

Now the key question, he said, is, "Is it possible to end the war in a way that protects Ukraine’s future that both sides could agree to?"

"That’s what we’re trying to find out," he asserted. "I think we’ve made some progress but we’re not there yet."

What does the Kremlin say about the negotiations?

For Moscow, the key issue, at least for the moment, appears to be the future of the occupied territories. Putin declared last week on Russian television that he was prepared to cease hostilities if Ukrainian forces withdrew from areas it claims as its own.

Following the 2022 invasion, Russia occupied several areas of Ukraine: parts of Donetsk and Lugansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south, some 19% of Ukrainian territory, according to AFP. The Crimean peninsula has been in Russian hands since 2014.

"There were some points we could agree on," said top Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov. However, "Other points drew our criticism, and the president did not hide it."

When will the next meeting be held

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured on social media that his representatives will meet with European colleagues, to discuss the Washington-Moscow meeting and "the European component of the necessary security architecture."

After that meeting, his delegates "will begin preparations for a meeting with envoys of President Trump in the United States." "As always, Ukraine will work constructively in pursuit of a real peace," he added.

A senior Kiev official told AFP that the next bilateral meeting could be held in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday.

There, a new version of the 28-point peace plan unveiled last month would be presented to the Ukrainian side. The roadmap has reportedly undergone several modifications after a back-and-forth with both sides.