US expects conditions for ceasefire from Russia, Rubio says

Marco Rubio, photo: getty images

Russia is preparing a list of requirements that it believes must be met to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine.

The US is waiting for these proposals to better understand the Kremlin's plans, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate hearing, Politico reports.

«As far as we understand, the Russians are going to write down the conditions that they will require in order to achieve a ceasefire, which would then allow for broader negotiations,» Rubio said.

This is a continuation of the negotiation process after US President Donald Trump's telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin the day before. However, according to sources, this conversation did not bring a breakthrough, as expected by European allies and Ukraine. Although Donald Trump said that his conversation with the Russian president went «very well», and its tone and spirit «were excellent».

Amid fears that Moscow is deliberately delaying the process, the US has not yet demonstrated readiness to change its policy towards the Kremlin decisively.

During a recent conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump said that it is up to Ukraine and Russia to decide how to end the war.

In addition, Donald Trump has previously stated that it will become clear in the next two to four weeks whether Ukraine is making sufficient efforts to end the war.