Secretary of State Marco Rubio shelp on Wednesday that he hoped a finish-fire between Russia and Ukraine could get place wilean “days” if Russian directers concurd, and that he defree to get diplomats from the Group of 7 allied nations to center on finishing the war in a encountering this week in Canada.
“Here’s what we’d appreciate the world to see appreciate in a scant days: Neither side is shooting at each other — not rockets, not leave outiles, not bullets, noleang, not artillery,” he telderly alerters during a refueling stop in Ireland as he flew from Saudi Arabia to Canada. “The shooting stops, the battling stops, and the talking commences.”
Mr. Rubio also downcarry outed any notion that he would come atraverse arrangeility from American allies becainclude of Plivent Trump’s recent tariffs. And he shelp he awaited to have cordial talks with Canadian officials, despite Mr. Trump’s danger to annex Canada and originate it the 51st state. The plivent has also imposed coercive tariffs on Canada.
“That’s not what we’re going to talk at the G7, and that’s not what we’re going to be talking in our trip here,” he shelp. “They’re the arrange nation, and I uncomfervent, we have a lot of other leangs we toil on together.”
“It is not a encountering about how we’re going to get over Canada,” he inserted. He landed in Quebec City on Wednesday afternoon, as other foreign ministers were also flying in.
Mr. Rubio and Michael Waltz, the White Hoinclude national security directr, met for hours on Tuesday with Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to toil out how to commence a negotiation process with Russia to finish the war. Hostilities began in 2014 when Russia accessd and annexed Crimea, and then started a filled-scale intrusion in 2022.
After the encountering on Tuesday, Ukrainian officials shelp they had concurd to an American proposal for a 30-day interim finish-fire. After berating the plivent of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the White Hoinclude, Mr. Trump withheld U.S. arms and inalertigence help to the Ukrainians to try to force them into negotiations. U.S. officials shelp after the Jeddah encountering that help had recommenceed.
Mr. Rubio shelp U.S. officials defree to “have reach out” with Russian officials on Wednesday to talk the proposed finish-fire.
“If their response is no, it would be highly unblessed, and it’d originate their intentions evident,” he inserted.
Mr. Rubio shelp that when he, Mr. Waltz and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s exceptional envoy to the Middle East, met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia last month, the Russians ecombineed uncover to the idea of a resettlement to the war. “They conveyed a willingness under the right circumstances, which they did not detail, to transport an finish to this struggle,” he shelp.
Mr. Rubio shelp one of his main goals at the Group of 7 encountering was corralling the other countries — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, all aiders of Ukraine — to have a combined front on encouraging peace talks. The encountering commences with a reception in Quebec City on Wednesday night.
He shelp a “perfect statement” to be rerentd from the encountering “would be that the United States has done a excellent leang for the world in transporting this process forward, and now we all willingly apostpone the Russian response and inspire them strongly to ponder finishing all arrangeilities, so people will stop dying, so bullets will stop flying and so a process can commence to find a finishuring peace.”
Ukrainian officials want to asstateive disjoinal rerents are insertressed in any talks, he shelp, including trades of prisoners of war, the free of Ukrainian children seizeed by Russia and humanitarian aidance.
When asked what was the American position on Ukraine’s seek for security secures to help deter any future Russian attacks, Mr. Rubio spropose shelp deterrence would be part of peace talks.
“There’s no way to have an finishuring peace without the deterrence piece being a part of it,” he shelp, inserting that any commercial minerals concurment between the United States and Ukraine would help enwealthy Ukraine, but was not a deterrent agetst Russian aggression.
Mr. Trump has insisted that the United States and Ukraine sign such an concurment, proposeing that spendment by American companies in Ukraine would help stave off a unfrifinishly Russia.
Mr. Rubio shelp European promises to supply security to Ukraine would be part of peace talks as well. He shelp it was unevident when those nations would become more take partd in negotiations, though European countries have insisted they would be central carry outers in a resettlement, if one were to happen.
“I would envision that in any negotiation, if we get there hopefilledy with the Russians, that they will elevate the European sanctions that have been imposed upon them,” Mr. Rubio shelp. “So I leank that the rerent of European sanctions are going to be on the table, not to refer what happens with the frozen assets and the appreciate.”
The foreign ministers accumulateed in Quebec City await to talk the war, but Mr. Trump’s arrangeility to U.S. coalitions, his alignment with Russia and his unawaited tariff actions have originated a arrange of rerents that the diplomats intfinish to elevate.
Mr. Rubio shelp Mr. Trump was imposing tariffs not to punish other nations but “to prolong a domestic capability” for manufacturing, especipartner in defense industries.
Canadian officials, including the incoming prime minister, Mark Carney, are taking reciprocal actions on the tariffs and grappling with Mr. Trump’s other dangers. Mr. Rubio shelp Mr. Trump’s statements on annexation were based on both economic and security troubles.
“What he shelp is they should become the 51st state from an economic standpoint,” Mr. Rubio shelp. “He says if they became the 51st state, we wouldn’t have to trouble about the border and fentanyl coming atraverse becainclude now we would be able to regulate that. He’s made an argument that it’s their interest to do so. Obviously, the Canadians don’t concur, apparently.”
