Russia and Ukraine Should Focus on Peace Talks, Rubio Says
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters during a visit to Uzbekistan on Monday that Russia and Ukraine should focus on ending their war, saying the conflict carries risks of escalation and spread to another country. Rubio landed in Samarkand on Sunday night to meet top officials of the C5+1 grouping, which includes the United States and five post-Soviet states. He also appeared to confirm reports that the United States, Russia and China are in talks to hold a trilateral leaders' summit on ending the war in Ukraine that would exclude Ukraine.
Why it matters: The remarks and the reported trilateral format bear on the briefing's diplomacy theme by indicating that negotiations over the war in Ukraine may be discussed outside a Ukraine-inclusive framework.