Rubio signals push to restart Ukraine-Russia peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington will step up diplomatic efforts in the coming weeks to explore whether peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia can be restarted, according to an interview with Fox News.

Rubio indicated that diplomatic activity aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine is expected to intensify in the near term.

"You're going to see some efforts over the next few weeks to see if we can't restart talks between the two sides and bring this war to an end," Rubio said.

He cautioned, however, that prospects for progress remain uncertain, citing entrenched positions on both sides.

"We also understand that both sides have some pretty strong red lines, and until we can bring those red lines a little closer together, we're not going to be there yet," Rubio said.

Separately, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to visit Kyiv around Ukraine’s Independence Day on August 24.

Following his visit to Washington on July 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump’s representatives could travel to Kyiv within the next two weeks.

By Tamilla Hasanova