NYT: Rubio called to reassure Europeans after US-Russia meeting
After meeting with a Russian delegation in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled a reset in relations with the Kremlin. However, just hours later, he sought to reassure European allies that the talks did not mark a sharp departure from US policy. The New York Times reported this, citing a summary of Rubio's phone conversation with European officials.
This week's talks in Riyadh were intended as a first step in resolving Russia's war against Ukraine and as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about reaching a deal, Rubio said in his conversation with several European diplomats.
European officials were unsure how to interpret the secretary of state's measured assessment, especially as leaders on the continent tried to make sense of what appeared to be a renewed relationship between Washington and Moscow.
Rubio told the Europeans that the Trump administration did not plan to impose terms of any bilateral agreement with Russia on Ukraine and Europe, according to a summary of the call prepared by European officials.
The secretary of state also stated that the US would not lift sanctions on Russia without significant changes in Moscow's behavior, though he left the door open for limited sanctions relief if the Russians took steps sought by the administration.
According to Rubio, the administration of US President Donald Trump had received information suggesting that Russia might attempt to use the talks to sow divisions in the West or to ease its international isolation, according to the summary, which was reviewed by The New York Times.
The State Department did not respond to journalists' requests for comment on the secretary's conversation with European officials.
After the more than four-hour meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh, Rubio publicly disclosed few details about what had been achieved. He said that Russia and the United States had agreed to work toward a peaceful settlement for Ukraine, praising Trump as "the only leader in the world" capable of bringing longtime adversaries closer together.
Rubio's message to European officials after the Riyadh meeting was more nuanced and conciliatory, according to the summary of the phone call, which included officials from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy.
Part of the conversation focused on explaining why Ukrainians and Europeans had not been involved in the talks. According to Rubio, most of the discussions centered on bilateral issues between the United States and Russia. These included the initial stages of discussions on lifting restrictions on their embassies, which had been effectively shut down in both countries due to the expulsion of numerous diplomats.
Negotiations between the delegations on lifting these diplomatic restrictions would be the first test of Russia's intentions, Rubio said. He added that a failure in embassy talks would indicate that the Kremlin was not serious about negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
The secretary of state told Europeans that he could not determine from a single meeting whether the Russians were genuinely committed to reaching a deal. Rubio ended the call, as noted in the summary, by pledging to keep America's allies informed and calling for unity.