US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on Ukraine and Russia to focus on ending their war, saying the ongoing conflict poses serious risks, including the possibility of escalating into neighbouring countries.
Rubio made the remarks on Monday, October 19, while speaking to reporters during a visit to Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Asked about a possible meeting involving US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ending the four-year-old conflict, Rubio said the discussions had not been finalised but stressed that Trump wanted the war to end.
“There’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know whether it’s been finalized, but the president has been clear. He’d like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end,” Rubio said.
The US secretary of state arrived in Samarkand on Sunday night to meet senior officials from the C5+1 grouping, which brings together the United States and five Muslim-majority post-Soviet countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Trump hosted leaders from the five Central Asian countries at the White House last November.
Rubio warned that the conflict offered no positive outcome and could spread beyond Ukraine and Russia, particularly if military operations or technological interference resulted in incidents affecting neighbouring countries.
“We see nothing good coming from this war,” he said.
“We see a lot of downside to it, including the very real risk of escalation and spread of this thing… into another country because of a failed sabotage attack, because of drones that are hit with electronic warfare and they wander into a neighbouring country.”
US Efforts to End the Ukraine War
The United States has been attempting to broker a peace agreement to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump has recently secured a diesel import deal with Russia and waived some sanctions against Moscow. He has argued that the moves could help keep the Kremlin engaged in negotiations.
However, the decisions have drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has opposed measures he believes could benefit Russia while the war continues.
The latest diplomatic developments come amid continued Russian attacks on Ukraine.
A fresh Russian air strike killed a woman in Kyiv overnight, while also hitting a subway station and damaging a 25-storey residential building.
The attacks underscore the challenges facing efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement as diplomatic discussions continue.
