The end of the war in Ukraine consists of plans A and B, - Rubio

This was reported by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to CBS News.

"Plan A is a ceasefire so that we can move on to Plan B, the second phase - to bring everyone to the negotiating table, possibly with the participation of intermediaries, in order to find a way to end this war on a solid basis, respecting the interests of all parties. Nobody is saying the second part will be easy, but we can’t even start it until we complete the first," Rubio said.

He emphasized that no one said the second part would be easy. However, it cannot be started until the first is completed. The Secretary of State stressed that it’s difficult to negotiate a solid end to the war while the parties are shooting at each other. That’s why U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a ceasefire.

"That’s what we’re working on if we can achieve it. This in itself will not be easy. Then we will move to the second phase - negotiations for something more stable and permanent. It will be hard. It will require a lot of work, concessions from both sides, but it has to happen. This war cannot continue. The President has made that clear and is doing everything possible to end it," he noted.

The host also reminded about Rubio’s statement that the meeting of Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was supposed to answer the question of whether the parties are moving towards a truce or if Russia is employing a stalling tactic. The journalist also reminded about the recent conversation between the Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. When asked if Russia is stalling for time and what the official thinks about Witkoff’s meeting, he replied:

"I think it was a promising meeting. As I’ve said many times, we are not going to negotiate publicly. I’m hopeful that we will have something to announce at some point in the near future. I can’t guarantee it, but I certainly believe the meeting was encouraging, the exchange of views was constructive," the Secretary of State said.

He stated that there was no negative impression of Witkoff’s meeting with Putin, but at the same time acknowledged the difficulties, as the war in Ukraine has many aspects.

"Of course, there are certain difficulties. This is a complex war, now in its third year and occurring along a very long front line, with many complex aspects. So nobody is claiming it is easy," Rubio added.