Rubio announced progress in peace talks and named two things to reach an agreement

The United States has made progress in negotiations to resolve Russia's war against Ukraine, but the most difficult issues are always resolved last. This was discussed on briefing, said the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"I think we've made progress, but we still have a lot of work to do, and obviously the hardest issues are always the last to be addressed," Rubio said.

The top U.S. diplomat said that the U.S. administration has invested "a tremendous amount of time and energy" in ending the war and is "trying to understand what Ukraine can accept and what Russia can accept."

He noted that the United States wants to determine the positions of both sides and see if "we can somehow bring them together to reach some kind of agreement."

"To reach a negotiated agreement, two things are necessary: both sides have to get something in return and both sides have to give up something. And we are trying to understand what Russia can give and what it expects to get in return What can Ukraine give, and what can Ukraine get in return? Ultimately, the decision will be Ukraine's, not Russia's, and this decision will not depend on the United States," the Secretary of State emphasized.

He emphasized that it is not about imposing an agreement on anyone, but about trying to find points of intersection of interests.

• On December 18, Trump said that negotiations to end the war were "getting closer to a solution" and expressed hope that Ukraine would "respond quickly".
• On December 19, the United States will host the next round of peace talks. This time they will be attended by representatives of Europe.