- The US Secretary of State believes that it still potentially alleviates some of the global pressures
NEW YORK: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged that limited or temporary ceasefires between Russia and Ukraine would not by themselves bring an end to the conflict, although such arrangements could help reduce humanitarian and global economic pressures.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Rubio said both sides had expressed interest in limited ceasefire arrangements covering grain and energy supplies.
“I think both sides have expressed an interest in some limited ceasefire that involves grain and energy [supplies],” Rubio said.
Negotiated Agreement Needed to End Conflict
Rubio stressed that such limited measures would not constitute a comprehensive settlement of the war but could potentially ease some of the wider pressures caused by the conflict.
“It doesn’t solve the war, but it does, I think, in some ways, potentially alleviate some of the global pressures,” he said.
The US secretary of state further said that the conflict would ultimately have to be resolved through negotiations rather than on the battlefield.
“I will say that war is not going to end on the battlefield. That war is going to end — I think everyone acknowledges — with a negotiated agreement,” Rubio said.
He added that reaching an agreement sooner could help limit further destruction and loss of life on both sides.
“And the sooner we can reach that agreement, the less things will be destroyed, and the less people are going to die on both sides. That’s what the president wants,” Rubio said.
BY: The Times Union
