US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Ukraine and Russia should focus on ending their war, as Washington continues efforts to broker a peace deal.
Asked during a visit to Uzbekistan about a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the four-year-old conflict, Rubio said the meeting had not been confirmed.
“There’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know whether it’s been finalized, but the president has been clear. He’d like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end,” Rubio told reporters.
Rubio also denied that Washington had suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine, contrary to claims from Kiev. He called President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "focus" on ending the war with Russia.
"What he should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war," he said.
Rubio arrived in Samarkand on Sunday night to meet senior officials from the C5+1 grouping, which brings together the US and five Central Asian countries: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Trump hosted the leaders of the five countries at the White House last November.
“We see nothing good coming from this war,” Rubio said, warning of the risk of escalation and the conflict spreading into neighbouring countries.
He cited the possibility of a failed sabotage attack or drones affected by electronic warfare straying across borders.
Peace efforts amid renewed attacks
The US has been seeking to mediate an agreement to end the war. Trump has also secured a deal allowing Russian diesel imports and waived some sanctions on Moscow, saying the moves could help keep the Kremlin at the negotiating table.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised the moves.
Meanwhile, a fresh Russian air strike killed a woman in Kiev overnight and hit a subway station, while also damaging a 25-storey residential building, according to the supplied report.
