Rubio: Russia may present ceasefire terms for Ukraine "in days"

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington expects Russia to outline broad terms for a possible ceasefire in Ukraine within days, raising hopes of a potential breakthrough in the conflict.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on May 20 during a hearing on the State Department's 2026 budget request, Rubio said recent diplomatic exchanges suggested that Moscow could be preparing to put forward a proposal soon, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“What we're expecting now, based on the president’s phone conversation yesterday and my conversations over the weekend with Mr. (Sergey) Lavrov, is that at some point here, fairly soon—maybe in a number of days, maybe this week hopefully—the Russian side is going to present terms that they would want to see, just broad terms that would allow us to move towards a ceasefire,” Rubio told lawmakers.

The US believes the nature of the proposal will reveal much about Russia's actual intentions, according to Rubio.

“We are hoping that will happen. We believe that the term sheet that the Russians produce will tell us a lot about their true intentions,” he said. “If it's a term sheet that's realistic and you can work off of it, that's one thing. If it makes demands that we know are unrealistic, I think that will be indicative.”

Asked how the US might respond, Rubio said any decision would ultimately rest with President Donald Trump.

“I can't speak for him at this moment. I'm not prepared to say, but I think we all know he is aware of both his authorities to sanction and he is well aware of the fact that this bill (to impose sanctions against Russia) was moving in the Senate.”

Rubio also referenced his recent visit to Türkiye, where he joined Senator Lindsey Graham at an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya. The two also took part in discussions in Istanbul as part of wider efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

“It’s one of the reasons why I asked Senator Graham to join me in Türkiye, to engage—when we arrived that night—with our Ukrainian partners as well,” he said, referring to their meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Antalya.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rubio defended his foreign policy stance amid criticism from some members of Congress who have expressed disappointment over his alignment with President Trump, particularly over proposed cuts to foreign aid and diplomatic spending.

Rubio pushed back against suggestions that the US was stepping back from the global stage, saying the country remained committed to international engagement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev