U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke at a G7 meeting in Canada. When asked if he trusted Putin, Rubio flatly refused to answer directly, UNN reports, citing Sky News.
Details
Rubio said there was "positive engagement" between White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin, who met in Moscow yesterday.
He said that once Witkoff returns, the team will take a closer look at Russia's position, and Donald Trump will "determine the next steps".
"I think there is reason for cautious optimism," he said.
"But at the same time, we continue to recognize that this is a complex and confusing situation."
When asked if he trusted Putin, Rubio flatly refused to answer directly, saying he thought it was an "inappropriate question".
"Foreign policy is not about trust, but about actions," he says.
"In the end, in such cases, you can't just say that you want peace, you need to make peace, and that's fair to both sides in any conflict."
But Rubio said both sides would have to make concessions in their negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
"This should be part of the negotiations, but there will be no benefit to entering into these negotiations by making general statements that may give one side or the other an excuse not to participate in them," he added.
Addition
Russia said that dictator Vladimir Putin conveyed "additional" signals to U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire for Ukraine.
Earlier, The Financial Times wrote that Vladimir Putin is not ready to back down from his demands for a ceasefire. In particular, he stated that any ceasefire should lead to a final settlement of the conflict, which would "resolve the root causes" of his invasion.