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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that the ball is now in Russia’s court amid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
Rubio made the remarks while speaking to reporters following meetings with senior Ukrainian officials in Jeddah on Tuesday.
According to him, Ukraine is now ready to cease fire and begin negotiations in an effort to reach a peace deal and end the war with Russia.
“Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking, and now it will be up to them to say yes or no,” Rubio said.
“We will take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope that they will say ‘yes’, that they will say ‘yes’ to peace. The ball is now in their court.”
He added, “If they say no, then we will unfortunately know what the impediment to peace is here.”
Ukraine and Russia have been at war for the past three years.
Several casualties have been recorded on both sides as a result of the conflict between the two neighbouring nations.
The European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has stated that Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has no interest in peace as Russia over the weekend launched what has been described as a devastating attack on cities in Ukraine.
In a significant development from Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared his readiness to sign a minerals deal with the United States, offering access to vast reserves of rare earth elements critical for defense and technology sectors.
Speaking on Tuesday, Zelenskyy described the agreement as “favorable,” a move analysts see as an attempt to bolster economic ties with Washington amid a deepening crisis. Ukraine’s mineral wealth—potentially worth hundreds of billions—could prove a lifeline as the nation battles setbacks on multiple fronts.
The announcement comes against a bleak backdrop. The White House has abruptly halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv, a decision that has blindsided Ukrainian commanders reliant on U.S. data to counter Russian advances.
