Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will return from Moscow with a framework for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
“The specific timing of it is not discussed,” Rubio told Larry Kudlow during an appearance on Fox Business Channel.
“I think what we have is a better understanding of the conditions under which Russia would be prepared to end the war. We now have to compare that to what the Ukrainians and our European allies, but the Ukrainians primarily, of course, are willing to accept,” he added.
Witkoff has been gleaning information from talks in Russia as the Kremlin advances strikes on Kyiv and surrounding cities in its war with Ukraine.
In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pushed to obtain Crimea and additional land before removing soldiers from the frontlines.
Rubio did not outline the conditions gathered by Witkoff during his Wednesday meeting with leaders in Moscow but underscored the importance of an agreement fair to both countries.
“I think for the first time, perhaps since this administration began, we have some concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war. We haven’t had much of that to this point,’ Rubio said.
“Obviously, the Ukrainians have a say in this. We got to – we got to bring the two sides and the two positions close enough so that the ultimate closer, President Trump, can get involved and make it happen,” he added.
Trump signaled that he could soon hold direct in-person talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to achieve the administration’s goal of ending the conflict.
