US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Saturday that Moscow might be “tapping us along” if the first strong agreements between Russia and Ukraine in three decades failed to lead to a ceasefire. He warned that he remained skeptical of Russia’s purposes in the Russian peace process. Rubio confirmed in an appointment with CBS News’ Face the Nation that he had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to get a reading of Friday’s Istanbul deals. He claimed that they weren’t a complete waste of time, but they were also asking,” Are they tapping us along?” The Istanbul meet ended in less than two days without a ceasefire deal, despite both parties consenting to a prisoner swap involving 1, 000 prisoners each. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, turned down Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for a face-to-face gathering in Turkey and rather sent a lower-level delegation. Rubio acknowledged the delicate balancing act between intensity and compassion. We are attempting to end a terrible, costly, and harmful war on the one hand, he said, underscoring that broader global issues also need our attention. Additionally, he stated that any progress had probably depend on a single Trump-Putin meeting. The senator wants to carry it out. He stated that he wanted to take action as soon as possible, noting that the decision to hold for a conference, including the choice of location and time, had not yet been made. Rubio claimed that the Vatican, which has offered to host peace talks, was provide” secure” conditions for all parties. The notes come back of a competitive Monday, when US President Donald Trump is scheduled to cellphone with both Putin and Zelenskyy. Trump wrote on social media that “hopefully it will be a successful evening, a ceasefire may be established, and this very violent battle, a war that should have never occurred, will end.” Trump has continued to cast doubt on his skill to dealer peace, but current events on the ground increase doubts about an upcoming resolution. According to Ukrainian officials, a Russian aircraft attack on a human bus on Saturday in Ukraine’s Sumy area left nine people dead and several others injured. Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, described the hit as a “deliberate attack on civilians,” but Russian officials remain skeptical about the US administration’s shifting strategy. Trump has requested an absolute 30-day ceasefire. According to the New York Times, Oleksandr Merezhko, the head of Ukraine’s political foreign affairs committee, said that this consistency, unrealistic behavior, and lack of strategy undermine US credibility. According to critics, Trump’s tone runs the risk of bolstering Ukraine’s position while promoting Russia’s toughline policy. As world leaders gathered in Rome for Pope Leo XIV‘s annual Mass, Rubio, a defense researcher, said,” Putin’s primary purpose is snuffing out Ukraine’s politics and culture, denying it agency in its own affairs.” Rubio, who was present, claimed the new pope had made a “very good offer” to sponsor peace negotiations. Pope Leo urged all events to seek for” an real, just and lasting peace” in his first gift.
