Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks about the timing of a potential face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday when he returned to Washington, D.C. from Abu Dhabi on Friday that peace would not be reached until he met Putin in person. The president added in a Truth Society post on Saturday that he planned to talk to Putin on a phone call with Putin on Monday, followed by a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some NATO leaders.
Meanwhile, Rubio - who attended the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo Xiv in Rome on Sunday, said the Vatican proposed a direct meeting between Ukraine, Russia and other political parties.
"Obviously, the Vatican has made a very generous offer, not only the meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, but any meeting, including at the technical level, any meeting you know, needs to be held, and they expressed their willingness to do so. So it's a very generous offer to be recorded on Saturday's recording. "I mean, this will be a website that all parties will feel comfortable." So hopefully, at that stage of negotiations we will be able to have regular negotiations, the Vatican will have the opportunity to be one of them. ”
Zelenskyy provides details about meeting with Vance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left and vice president JD Vance, on the right, greet each other as Secretary of State Marco Rubio watched before the formal inauguration of Pope Leo in St. Peter's Square in Rome on Sunday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Rubio, with his Russian rival Sergey Lavrov, called a phone call on Saturday, after Putin convened a face-to-face meeting with the Russian leaders whom Putin convened in Turkey last week in Turkey. Despite Putin's absence, the delegations of Ukraine and Russia did agree to conduct a 1,000-person exchange from all sides, although a broader ceasefire or peace agreement failed to come true.
CBS host Margaret Brennan asked Rubio if he had spoken with Lavrov to have a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin.
"Well, we talked about all kinds of things," Rubio said. "I want to read about the perspectives he was going on yesterday's negotiations. They're not a complete waste of time.
Rubio said the Ukrainians will soon make their proposals and he hopes the proposals on both sides are "serious and feasible".
"So we have to wait and see. But he wants me to know that he has communicated on our phone and one of their parties will work to come up with a series of ideas and demands to move forward through a ceasefire and further negotiations," he said.
Rubio said that, as Trump suggested, the United States is "testing" whether Russians are just "knocking" them.
Left start: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a meeting on Sunday at the Palace of Chigi in Rome. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Swimming Pool)
Zelenskyy talks with Trump, ally agents after Russian peace talks do not cease fire
"On the one hand, we are working to achieve peace and end a very bloody, expensive and destructive war. So, patience is needed. On the other hand, we don't have time to waste." "There are many other things in the world that need attention as well. So we don't want to be involved in this process of countless negotiations - there has to be some progress, some progress. If at the end of this, in the next few days, we get documents generated by both sides, which shows that both sides can maintain a good attitude before they can maintain a realistic attitude, and let's keep a good attitude, and I think my attitude, I think my attitude, I think I think I think I'm going to think.
"On the other hand, if what we see is not very productive, maybe we will do different assessments. I agree, in the end, one thing that can help break this logjam - perhaps the only thing that can be done - could be a direct conversation between President Trump and Vladimir Putin. He has publicly expressed a desire and a belief and a belief in need and hopefully that will be achieved and it will be possible soon.
Rubio put pressure on face-to-face negotiations between Trump and Putin, and he reiterated that the president has made the proposal publicly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani are faced with Tajani's wife Brunella Orecchio, left, Rubio's wife Jeanette Doustebes, right, meeting on Saturday at Villa Madama in Rome's city in Rome. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
"Setting up the mechanism for such a meeting will take some work, so I can't say that this is what we're talking about in terms of the location and dating," Rubio said. "But the president wants to do that. He wants to do it as soon as possible. I think the Russian side has expressed their willingness to do it too. So now, it's just a problem, a problem to bring them to them, to unite everyone, to figure out where and when and where and what will happen and what will happen."
Rubio met with Zelenskyy on Sunday at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Rome.
Vance and Rubio then met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on trade, Ukrainian war and NATO spending, a spokesman for the vice president said.
Vance said at the beginning of the meeting: "The various countries in Europe are important allies of the United States. But of course, we have some differences on issues such as trade, like friends do sometimes, we have many agreements and many things we can work together, and I look forward to the conversation."
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After the meeting, the Vice President's Office issued a statement saying: "The leaders discussed their common goal of ending the bloodshed in Ukraine and provided the latest news on the state of negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace."
Meghan Tomes of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to the report.