【The US had previously discussed ending the war with "high-level figures of Putin", but Washington "saw no progress"】

On July 31, the U.S. Department of State released a press release stating that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Fox News broadcast program that U.S. representatives had held private negotiations with Russian senior officials this week on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, but no progress was made.

He said that U.S. officials had held "detailed" negotiations with "some high-level figures of Putin" on July 28 or 29. Rubio said that the U.S. representatives had originally hoped to "reach some consensus on the path to peace." "But on this issue, we have seen no progress."

Rubio said that Trump was concerned about this: he first had a series of "excellent phone calls," during which everyone agreed that it was necessary to end the war, but then saw new city bombardments in the news. "At some point, he (Trump) will have to make a decision - how long should we continue trying to reach a ceasefire if one side is not interested."

Rubio said that U.S. leaders have various action plans, including secondary sanctions on Russian oil sales and industry sanctions on the banking system. "The best way forward is a ceasefire and starting negotiations. But we currently do not see any sincere intention from Russia to achieve this goal. If there is an opportunity, we are still prepared to participate in such matters. But obviously, the president will not wait forever."

Since mid-February, the U.S. has been trying to negotiate with Russia and Ukraine to end the war. Kyiv has expressed willingness to cease fire, while Moscow has actually been delaying negotiations. Meanwhile, both sides continue to attack each other and strike cities far from the front lines.

On July 29, Trump said that Russia has 10 days (until August 8) to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine. Previously, he had threatened to impose tariffs on Russia and its trade partners if Moscow did not reach a ceasefire with Kyiv.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839229669081088/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.