Rubio says war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate

Secretary of State ​Marco Rubio said on Thursday that ‌Russia's war ​in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate and the United States will keep working toward a settlement to ‌end the conflict. "We'd love to see a negotiated settlement to this war that is permanent, enduring, and fair. And that's what we're committed to continuing to do," Rubio ‌told reporters during a visit to Portugal.

US President Donald Trump's administration in recent ‌weeks has sought to revive talks to end the 4-year-old conflict – Europe's bloodiest since World War Two, with Ukrainian negotiators set to visit the US for talks on Friday and Saturday. Mutual drone attacks by ⁠Russia and ​Ukraine this year ⁠have gradually spread across the economy, hitting targets from energy facilities and refineries to ports and vessels ⁠carrying oil and grain, e-commerce warehouses and, most recently, data centres.

Rubio said escalations could spark ​a wider conflict. "That escalation could wind up being a sabotage campaign ⁠in neighboring countries that are members of NATO," Rubio said, adding that other things "could quickly turn what is ⁠a ​war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict."

"This war needs to end in a negotiated settlement. The sooner, the better. ⁠The United States stands ready to facilitate that. We have tried. We will continue ⁠to try. But ⁠we're also not going to invest in pointless processes if we can't make progress," Rubio added.