Marco Rubio fumes after dead-end Ukraine peace talks with Russia's Lavrov: ‘I don't want to overpromise'
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Rubio said he remained "frustrated" by the absence of movement toward a ceasefire, even as some ideas were exchanged during the discussion.
"There were some ideas that were expressed today, some viewpoints that they expressed to us that I'll take back to the president for his consideration," Rubio said.
"I don't want to overpromise," he added, citing the "acceleration" of Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Rubio emphasised that while diplomacy requires "time and patience," the United States is eager for results.
"We're also frustrated that more progress has not been made," Rubio said. 'Hopefully... we will have more clarity about what exactly the Russian position and priorities are.'
US President Donald Trump has also expressed mounting frustration with Putin's conduct in the war. In a Cabinet meeting this week, Trump sharply criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Putin is not, he's not treating human beings right," Trump said.
'We get a lot of b*******---- thrown at us by Putin... It turns out to be meaningless.'
'We're not happy with Putin. I'm not happy with Putin, I can tell you that much right now. Because he's killing a lot of people. And a lot of them are his soldiers.'
Trump also said he would strongly consider backing a new Russia sanctions bill that aims to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.
Thursday's meeting in Malaysia was the second in-person encounter between Rubio and Lavrov since Rubio took office, following their initial meeting in Riyadh in February. The two have also had several phone calls in recent months.
Russia's Foreign Ministry described the exchange as 'substantive and frank,' noting that the two sides discussed Ukraine, Syria, and Iran. According to Moscow, both officials affirmed 'a mutual commitment to finding peaceful solutions to conflict situations.'
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