FM Lavrov flags Rubio’s Ukraine remarks as concerning for Russia

Russia’s leadership has expressed concern over a recent statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Washington’s role in resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

On June 3, Rubio stated that the United States cannot be considered an impartial mediator between Russia and Ukraine because it supports the Ukrainian side.

“I very much hope that the experience of previous failures, when the West refused to implement agreements it had supported, will not be repeated regarding the Alaska agreement. But so far, to our great regret, our American partners are showing no interest in this. (…) However, we are certainly concerned by the statement of Secretary of State M. Rubio, who recently said during congressional hearings that the US cannot be a mediator because it supports Ukraine. The same was said by the well-known Kaja Kallas and several other officials from the EU and the European Commission. Therefore, it is difficult for me to comment on the prospects for negotiations at this point,” Lavrov said following talks with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.

By Jeyhun Aghazada