‘Are they tapping with us?’
US State Secretary Marco Rubio said on Saturday that he wasware of Russia’s intentions in the Ukraine peace process, warning that Moscow could be “exploited” Moscow after the first direct conversation between Russia and Ukraine in three years.In an interview with CBS News Facing nation Disseminating on Sunday, Rubio confirmed that he spoke on the phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to get a readout on Friday’s conversation in Istanbul. “They were not a complete waste of time,” he said, but said, “Are they exploiting us? Well, that’s what we are trying to find out.”Istanbul’s meeting ended in less than two hours without an agreement on the ceasefire, although the two sides agreed to an prisoner exchange including each 1,000 prisoners. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the proposal for a face-to-face meeting of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelansky for a face-to-face meeting in Türkiye, rather than sent a lower-level delegation.Rubio accepted the delicate balance between patience and urgency. “On the one hand, we are trying to end peace and end a very bloody, expensive and destructive war … On the other hand, we don’t have time to ruin,” he said, comprehensive global issues also demand attention.He also indicated that there is a possibility of progress in the Trump-Putin meeting. He said, “The President wants to do this. Rubio said that the Vatican, which has offered to host peace talks, could be a” comfortable “setting for all sides.The comment comes ahead of a high-hand on Monday, when US President Donald Trump is expected to talk with both Putin and Zelanski by phone. Trump wrote on social media, “Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire, and it will be a very violent war, a war that should never go, end,” Trump wrote on social media.While Trump has continued to believe in his ability to broker peace, the recent increase on the ground increases doubt about any imminent success. A Russian drone attack in a civil bus in Sumi area of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, killed nine people and injured several others. Ukrainian President Zelancesi condemned the strike as a “deliberate attack on citizens”.Zelancesi has agreed to demand Trump’s unconditional 30-day ceasefire, but Ukrainian officials have doubts about the transfer approach of the US administration. “Ukraine’s parliamentary foreign affairs chairman Olacksandra Merejko said,” Such inconsistency, irrational steps and lack of strategy reduces American credibility. ” new York Times,Critics argue that Trump’s posture risks rewarded Russia’s radical position, while Ukraine turned into concessions. Mick Ryan, quoted by a defense analyst new York TimesSaid, “Putin’s primary goal is sniffing Ukraine’s democracy and culture, which is denying the agency in its matters.”As the world leader gathered for the inauguration month of Pope Leo XIV in Rome, Rubio attended the ceremony, stating that the new Pope made a “very generous offer” to host peace talks. In his first blessing, Pope Leo urged all sides to try for “an authentic, just and permanent peace”.
