US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Atlanta on Saturday that he did not know if a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine was achievable. He added that no one at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting claimed a settlement was imminent.
Rubio spoke after two days of talks that included Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose presence he defended as necessary for diplomacy. “How can you have a negotiated settlement between Russia and Ukraine if you don’t have the ability to talk to both Russia and Ukraine?” he asked. He also cited Russia’s nuclear arsenal as a reason to maintain communication.
European officials told RFE/RL that Rubio privately expressed doubts that President Vladimir Putin would attend the December G20 summit in Miami. Rubio publicly said he did not know if Putin would come, as no confirmation had been announced.
While Rubio offered little optimism on a comprehensive peace deal, he highlighted growing international interest in a limited Black Sea ceasefire to secure grain and energy shipments. He said the US was reviewing proposals from Turkey and India to restore safe navigation, calling the threat to food and energy security a global concern. “We’d like to achieve it. It doesn’t solve the war, but at least it solves a unique aspect of it,” he said.
In Istanbul, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to work on restoring the Black Sea grain corridor. Erdogan condemned attacks on civilian vessels and urged both sides to act responsibly. Zelensky said they also discussed expanding trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia to include Turkey and Europe, with a meeting expected in early November.
Rubio confirmed that Ukraine was not invited to the Atlanta G20 gathering but said Trump had not ruled out inviting Zelensky to the December summit. He also noted that Trump’s envoys, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, were focusing on the Ukraine portfolio.
