US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the talks in Paris on Ukraine in a phone call last night, stressing that "peace is possible" if all sides commit to an agreement.
Rubio conveyed to his Russian counterpart the same message that the American team conveyed to the Ukrainian delegation and European allies in Paris, namely that United States President Donald Trump wants the war to end and all sides have been presented with the elements of a lasting peace, the State Department said in a statement.
"The encouraging reception given to American efforts to end the war in Ukraine, held in Paris, demonstrates that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement," the US diplomatic statement added.
Talks on Ukraine involving Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians were held last night in Paris, ahead of the upcoming meeting in London.
The talks were held as Washington-initiated ceasefire negotiations stalled as Europeans wanted their voices heard.
"We arrived in Paris with one goal in mind - to define concrete solutions to end the war between Russia and Ukraine" and to put an end to "unnecessary bloodshed," said Rubio, who participated in the talks along with envoy Steve Witkoff and General Keith Kellogg.
Under pressure from Washington, Kiev agreed to an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days, which Russia ignored.
At the same time, Trump continues to criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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