U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered a message from Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin intended for U.S. President Donald Trump, which Rubio said he has passed on, UNN reports.
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In response to a question about Lavrov's call for the U.S. to withdraw personnel from Kyiv amid Russian threats of new strikes, Rubio pointed out: "Well, they sent a message to all the embassies." "And I think he just personally called me to tell me – they told all the embassies – that Kyiv is going to be a very dangerous place – Kyiv has been a very dangerous place for several years now. Look, the danger of all these wars, as they go on and then they continue, is that they always carry the threat of escalation, of spreading into something new," Rubio said.
"So I spoke with him yesterday about that and a few other topics, and obviously, Putin wanted – asked him to call me to deliver a message directly to the President, which I did, but obviously, we had already seen the message sent out to all diplomatic missions,"
"And I said that there are no active, meaning scheduled, negotiations with Ukraine right now, but the U.S. is always ready to play a constructive and helpful role if such an opportunity arises," Rubio noted.
Regarding the major Russian strikes on Kyiv, some of the largest in the war, Rubio noted: "Well, that's exactly what happens with these wars." "I mean, they just continue to escalate. There's a big strike from one side, an even bigger strike comes back, and that's how these things unravel and continue. And that's why the war must end. Look, every time you see these big strikes from one side or the other, it's a reminder of why this is a terrible war that has lasted longer than World War II, and it must end. And the U.S. is ready to help and do everything possible to facilitate the end of this war. And hopefully, at some point, there will be an opportunity to play that role again," Rubio said.