Rubio believes security guarantees should be part of peace talks

Security guarantees for Ukraine and "territorial disputes" should be part of peace talks. This was announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reports Reuters.

He said that US President Donald Trump will hold talks with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 in the hope of bringing an end to the fighting in Ukraine, but that it will take more time to reach a comprehensive settlement.

"I think we all recognize that in order to achieve peace, we need to discuss security guarantees. You have to discuss... territorial disputes and claims and what they're fighting for," Rubio said.

"All of this will be part of a comprehensive solution. But I think President [Trump] is hoping to achieve some kind of cessation of hostilities so that these negotiations can take place," the Secretary of State emphasized.

Rubio added that the longer wars last, the harder it is to end them.

"But we will see what is possible tomorrow. We will see how the negotiations go. And we are full of hope. We want there to be peace. We will do our best to achieve it, but ultimately, the agreement on this will depend on Ukraine and Russia," the official stated.

Rubio emphasized that, in his opinion, Trump spoke to Putin four times on the phone and "felt it was important to talk to him in person, look him in the eye and find out what was possible and what was not".

"He [Trump] sees an opportunity to talk about making peace. He's going to pursue it, and we'll know tomorrow at some point, as the president said, probably at the very beginning of this meeting, whether something is possible or not. We hope so," the head of American diplomacy summarized.

• On August 11, Senator Graham said that Russia and Ukraine would have to exchange some territories to end the war, but Kyiv should receive security guarantees to prevent Russian aggression from happening again.
• Politico wrote that Trump told European and Ukrainian leaders that he was ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees – under certain conditions.