Marco Rubio, confirmed by the Senate as the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that he cannot predict the timeline for the end of the war in Ukraine, reflecting President Donald Trump's commitment to achieving this, CNN reported.
"We want the war to end. That's quite clear. You've seen what the president has said; he wants to be the president who promotes peace and ends conflicts, and that will also be challenging," Rubio told reporters after the Senate hearings.
He emphasized that a ceasefire in Ukraine "will be the president's top priority, and it will happen almost immediately."
According to him, "in fact, part of this work has already begun, and we can hope that some preparatory steps have already been taken."
He mentioned that he cannot specify a timeline for resolution, adding that "whenever you end a conflict between two sides, neither of which can achieve their maximum goals, each side will have to give up something," but he did not specify what concessions were being referred to.
The Secretary of State stated: "We will not get ahead of ourselves by discussing negotiations; these are negotiations at such a level, with such stakes, that it is best to conduct them through diplomacy rather than in public forums."
Earlier, CNN reported that Trump instructed to arrange a phone call with Vladimir Putin within a few days after his inauguration to discuss a personal meeting in the coming months, where they would attempt to put an end to the war in Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, Putin, for his part, stated that Russia is ready for negotiations with the U.S. regarding the war in Ukraine.
Bloomberg, citing its own sources, reports that Trump's advisors are developing a comprehensive sanctions strategy to facilitate a diplomatic agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the coming months.