By Daphne Psaledakis
SHANNON, Ireland (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will have contact with Russia on Wednesday about the agreement reached with Ukraine on a 30-day ceasefire and steps toward ending the war there.
There has been no official response from Moscow since U.S.-Ukraine talks wrapped up in Saudi Arabia after more than eight hours, with Kyiv agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire and the U.S. restoring military aid and intelligence sharing.
“We all eagerly await the Russian response and urge them strongly to consider ending all hostilities,” Rubio said during a stop in Ireland on his way back to Washington.
“If they say ‘no,’ then obviously we’ll have to examine everything and sort of figure out where we stand in the world and what their true intentions are. If they say no, it’ll tell us a lot about what their goals are and what their mindset is.”
He would not elaborate on any U.S. response if Russian officials balked at the deal but said previous talks with Moscow indicated a willingness to bring an end to the conflict.
Rubio said he believed a ceasefire should and could be monitored to make sure both sides adhere.
U.S. officials had conversations about territorial concessions in their talks with Ukrainians, Rubio said, but the bulk of the talks were what a negotiation process would look like.
Rubio said a critical minerals deal the U.S. hopes to sign with Ukraine would be beneficial for both sides but he did not consider it a security guarantee, something Ukraine has pressed for.
Long-term security for Ukraine will “most certainly have to be part of the conversation,” Rubio said.
“Ukraine wants their long term security,” he told reporters. “So I think the question really is more about a deterrence. Can Ukraine create a sufficient deterrent against future aggression, against future attack, against future invasion?”
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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