US Secretary of State: Washington must maintain dialogue with nuclear power Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged that Washington must maintain communication with Moscow, whether it likes it or not, given Russia’s status as a global nuclear power.

His remarks were made during an interview with journalist Catherine Herridge, published on her social media page on X, Caliber.Az reports.

According to Rubio, the United States must remain capable of engaging in dialogue with a country that possesses the world's largest arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons and the second-largest strategic nuclear arsenal. He underscored the necessity of maintaining diplomatic channels with Moscow, calling Russia a "global power" that cannot be ignored.

The statement comes amid renewed diplomatic engagements between the two nations. On February 18, U.S. and Russian representatives held talks in Riyadh, focusing on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The meeting lasted 4.5 hours and reportedly included discussions on establishing mechanisms for future negotiations on conflict resolution.

Following the talks, Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed to form negotiation groups on Ukraine. Lavrov described the dialogue as "fairly successful," while Washington also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the discussions.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to brief BRICS partners on the results of the U.S.-Russia negotiations, highlighting Moscow's efforts to engage with both Western and non-Western actors on global security matters.

By Vugar Khalilov