U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that it is impossible to sign the G7 communiqué that does not align with the U.S. position on negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, noting that "antagonistic language" sometimes complicates getting the parties to the negotiating table. He made this statement to reporters on his way to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, reports UNN.
Details
"There are always certain sticking points. Ultimately, we cannot sign any communiqué that does not align with our position on getting both sides to the negotiating table. Obviously, there are some European countries that will want to, and other countries that may want to go further in what they are willing to say, again, not because we are taking sides, but because we feel that antagonistic language sometimes complicates getting the parties to the table, especially since we seem to be the only ones who can make such negotiations possible right now. So we are working on this together with them. I don’t know if we have reached a solution. But I am confident that we can produce a meaningful and unifying document without undermining our ability to get both sides to the table," Rubio responded to a question about how the work on the G7 communiqué is progressing and whether there are sticking points regarding the wording concerning Ukraine.
When asked if he could share what wording he would not like to see regarding Ukraine, the U.S. Secretary of State said: "No. Why should I share that? But you have to ask, and I understand that."
Supplement
It was previously reported that G7 faced difficulties in agreeing on a statement regarding the war in Ukraine against the backdrop of the U.S. position. Washington objected to the wording "Russian aggression" in any joint G7 statement regarding the war.
From March 12-14, the foreign ministers of G7 member countries will meet in Quebec, Canada.
According to Reuters, four G7 diplomats stated that Canada, which is chairing the "Group of Seven," initially hoped that the "seven" would agree on a common statement covering everything from the war in Ukraine to the Middle East and China, as well as a second declaration outlining G7 efforts to curb the so-called "shadow fleet" of Russia.
However, diplomats stated that this time it has proven very difficult to reach an agreement on a full communiqué, and some fear that a compromise may not be found.
Two diplomats stated that the United States is seeking to remove mentions of sanctions and the war in Ukraine, while demanding tougher wording regarding China.
