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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured European allies that the U.S. will maintain sanctions against Russia at least until an agreement is reached to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
He said this on Tuesday, February 18, during a phone conversation with European colleagues, Bloomberg reports, citing informed sources.
According to the agency’s sources, the conversation between Rubio and a group of European colleagues took place after the U.S. Secretary of State joined U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs Steve Witkoff in negotiations with the Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio assured the group of European colleagues that sanctions against Russia would not be lifted at least until an agreement is reached to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The State Department, in turn, informed that after this meeting, Rubio spoke with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs immediately after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
They noted that the Secretary of State briefed the European foreign ministers on this meeting, and the group agreed to remain in close contact.
After the U.S.-Russia negotiations, the U.S. State Department reported that the delegations agreed to “remove irritants” in bilateral relations and continue working on preparations for negotiations on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In particular, they agreed to appoint high-level groups for negotiations on Ukraine.
On the same day, Rubio stated that all parties must agree on the terms of a peaceful settlement between Russia and Ukraine, hinting at the role of the EU necessary for lifting sanctions on Russia.
Trump commented on the fact that Ukraine was not present at the negotiations between the U.S. and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia. He said that the Russia-Ukraine war “could have been resolved very easily” and that “even a mediocre negotiator could have solved it.”
Read also: Netherlands’ DM explains why Europe not invited to Ukraine negotiations
