- President Donald Trump says the US had “good and productive” discussions with Putin, and asked the Russian president to spare the lives of thousands of “surrounded” Ukrainian troops
- Russia says there is “cautious optimism” over a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, but there is “a lot ahead to be done”
- Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine does “not want to play games with war”, adding “Putin cannot exit this war because that would leave him with nothing”
- Elsewhere, Russia says it’s continuing to retake parts of its Kursk region, which Ukraine invaded last year
- Both Russia and Ukraine reported new enemy drone attacks late on Thursday and overnight – with several injured in Kharkiv and an oil facility hit in Russia’s south
Rubio calls for Russia and Ukraine to both make concessions
Rubio reasserts that “the only way to end this war is through a process of negotiations”.
He says both sides have to make concessions, adding this is the “reality” of ending a war.
The precise nature of those concessions remains to be seen and making “blanket statements” wouldn’t be helpful at this stage, the secretary of state adds.
Difficult to negotiate lasting peace in midst of war, Rubio says
Rubio says every country has the right to defend itself and its territory. He adds that Ukraine will “obviously have to agree” on what long-term security means for the country.
He stresses that an immediate ceasefire is essential.
“We can’t get to the second phase till we get through the first phase,” Rubio says.
“It’s very difficult to negotiate lasting peace in the midst of an ongoing war.”
Rubio admits he does not know how aligned US, Ukraine and Russia are yet
The US secretary of state continues to answer questions on the timescale of ceasefire proposals for the Ukraine war.
Rubio repeats that Witkoff is not here yet, but says there’s a lot of work to be done.
He admits it will be hard, saying he’s never said it would be “easy, fast, simple slam-dunk”.
It could come together pretty quickly if everyone aligns, Rubio tells press, but says he doesn’t know how aligned they are yet. “That’s what we’re about to find out,” he adds.
Asked again how long Putin has to agree to the ceasefire, Rubio responds: “The question isn’t how long, but are we actually moving towards a ceasefire, or is this a delay tactic?”
He says they’ll know that soon, a lot of which will be based from Witkoff’s conversation with Putin.
Negotiations ‘will not play out’ at press conferences
In response to a question asking whether Putin is playing for time, Rubio says that America is not going to make foreign policy decisions on the basis of what a leader says at a press conference or on social media.
He says negotiations will play out with leaders speaking privately in talks, not in front of cameras.
‘Do you trust Putin?’
Next up, Rubio is asked if he trusts Putin.
He says that’s an irrelevant question because it’s not about trust but action.
The US secretary of state says if we’re serious about foreign policy, we need to move away from this kind of talk.
He adds it’s not a reality show and it’s not about personalities.
US ‘cautiously optimistic’ over Ukraine deal
The US secretary of state says there is reason to be cautiously optimistic over the Ukraine ceasefire deal, but adds that it will not be easy or simple.
He says the US feels they are “some steps closer” to the end of the war but it’s a “journey of many steps”.
“There’s a lot of work remains to be done,” he says, adding that they’ll know more once US special envoy Steve Witkoff returns.