US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “will largely depend on whether we can make progress on ending the war in Ukraine.”
In an interview published on social media, Rubio said he told Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday that there would be no meeting until “we know what the meeting is going to be about.”
According to the official, Trump wants to know if Russia is serious about ending the war in Ukraine, which was sparked by Moscow’s full-scale invasion three years ago.
“The only way is to test them, to basically engage them and say, ‘Okay, are you serious about ending the war? And if so, what are your demands? Are your public demands and your private demands different?'” Rubio said.
Trump ‘very upset’ with Zelenskyy
In the interview, the US Secretary of State also spoke about a growing rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“President Trump is very upset with President Zelenskyy,” Rubio said. “We care about Ukraine because it has implications for our allies and ultimately for the world. There should be some level of gratitude here.”
Rubio also said he discussed a deal to open Ukraine’s natural wealth to US investment in a meeting with Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance in Munich last Friday.
“We explained to them, ‘Look, we want to be in a joint venture with you, not because we’re trying to steal from your country, but because we think that’s actually a security guarantee, because we’re your partner in an important economic endeavor,'” Rubio said.
Macron to warn Trump against weakness toward Putin
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron plans to use his upcoming trip to the White House to try to persuade Trump to align himself with European allies.
During an online question-and-answer session Thursday night, Macron said he planned to tell Trump on Monday that showing any weakness to Putin would make it harder to deal with China and Iran.
“I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President Putin. It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of, and it’s not in your interests,” the French president said.
Following the online session, Macron wrote on X that he had a phone conversation with Zelenskyy, and they had reviewed “all the contacts I have had with European partners and allies willing to work towards a lasting and solid peace for Ukraine and to strengthen Europe’s security.”
Plan for European peacekeeping force
The idea of a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine will likely be on the agenda during Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s separate visits to the White House.
The proposal, backed by Britain and France, would see 30,000 European troops on the ground in Ukraine, away from the front line at key infrastructure sites such as nuclear power plants, backed by Western air and naval power.
Under the plan, the front line would be largely monitored remotely, with drones and other technology. Air power based outside Ukraine, perhaps in Poland or Romania, would be in reserve to deter violations and reopen Ukrainian airspace to commercial flights.
Germany is still undecided on the plan, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told public broadcaster ZDF on Friday that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, and “we are still a long way from a ceasefire.”
He said it remains an open question whether international troops could play a role in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, “and whether it will come to that at all.”
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
