Newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that resolving the Ukraine conflict will involve the "hard work of diplomacy" and pragmatism.
"Obviously it is going to involve complex and hard diplomacy. It has to be vigorous," Rubio told ABC News.
The secretary stated that neither Russia nor Ukraine can achieve the "maximalist goals" that they may have for this conflict.
He expressed the importance of getting back to pragmatism, seriousness, and the "hard work of diplomacy".
"The US has a role to play here. We've been supportive of Ukraine, but this conflict has to end," he added.
Rubio pointed out that during his inaugural address on Monday, US President Donald Trump said he wants to promote peace.
"I think everyone should be happy that we have a president that wants to promote peace, and that means we want the war in Ukraine to end," he added.
Rubio noted that the Ukraine conflict "won't be negotiated in press conferences or interviews".
"It'll have to be negotiated the way all these kinds of deals are negotiated, and it is in settings in which we use our leverage, our influence, our national power, to bring about not just an end to a conflict, but also to provide long-term stability for Europe and beyond," he said.
Trump has said that he is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He added that he would understand the possible timeframe for ending the Ukraine conflict only after talks with Putin.
Sputnik