US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his NATO counterpart that it will be revealed in a few weeks whether Russia is “serious” in the Ukraine ceasefire.
Friday’s comments came at the end of a two-day meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium.
US diplomats visited most of Washington’s ongoing support for NATO, despite President Donald Trump taking the Transatlantic Army Alliance towards the recent US overture to Russia in pursuit of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
“You’ll soon know in weeks, not months, but weeks, and not months. I hope they are,” Rubio said.
“If this drags things out, President Trump wouldn’t fall into an endless trap of negotiations,” he added.
“We are testing to see if Russians are interested in peace. Their actions determine whether their actions are serious, not words.
Rubio was one of the US delegations to meet Russian officials in Saudi Arabia in February, which the Trump administration described as an effort to launch peace talks.
However, subsequent talks have not yet had lasting consequences as Russia refused to use a ceasefire and agreed only to a suspension on the energy infrastructure strike following a call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in March. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused others of violating limited agreements.
Trump initially warned his European allies by taking a hard-pressed approach to Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelenkiti’s relatively reconciliatory tone with Russia.
But this week, Trump said he was “very angry” with Putin and floated by imposing secondary sanctions on Russia if he disagrees with a more fully American-backed ceasefire.
Speaking at the NATO meeting, the UK’s Foreign Secretary accused Russia of delaying its ceasefire efforts.
“Our judgment is that Putin continues to obfuscate and drag his feet,” David Lammy told reporters.
“We’ll meet you, Vladimir Putin. We know what you’re doing,” he said.
On their part, Russian officials say they cannot agree to the current terms of the US proposal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that there was a cause of “cautious optimism” after a visit to Washington, D.C. this week by Putin’s investment envoy, Kiril Dmitriev.
Still, he said “nothing on the schedule now” due to another call between Putin and Trump.
Reliable Tour
Rubio’s comments underscored his efforts to assure NATO allies of their continued commitment to the Washington alliance, reducing concerns that the Trump administration is drifting towards Russia.
Upon arriving in Brussels, Rubio dismissed what the media calls “hysteria and exaggeration” about the US role in the alliance.
Still, he said he hopes that all members will leave with the understanding that they are in the “path” to increase military spending to 5% of gross domestic product.
The Trump administration set new targets shortly after taking office in January, from a 2% commitment that many countries had already struggled to meet.
In February, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses told NATO counterparts that the US is away from Europe, focusing on enemies in other regions.
“President Trump has made it clear that he supports NATO,” Rubio said Thursday. “I’m going to stay at NATO.”
“We want NATO to be stronger. We want NATO to be more visible. The only way NATO can be stronger and more visible is if the nation states that make up this important alliance have more capabilities,” he said.
Speaking to AFP News Agency on Friday, NATO Chief Mark Latte said he believes in our enduring presence at NATO.
“The agenda is not about the US leaving NATO or leaving Europe. The US is here,” Latte said, adding that the US may “have to recur” as it will be more towards Asia.
“[Trump] I’ve committed to NATO. He has committed to Article 5,” Latte said, referring to the Alliance’s collective security agreement, stating that attacks on one member would be considered an attack on all members.
In a report from Brussels, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbara said members of the alliance are working on “major differences on a wide range of issues,” including defence spending targets.
Speaking to public broadcaster RTBF on Friday, Belgian Prime Minister Bad de Weber rejected the 5% spending requirement as “impossible.”
“Major European countries are concerned about what will happen in the near future,” Ahelbara said.
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