Lavrov Surprised by Rubio's Remarks on Ukraine Conflict End Chances

ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements that Washington does not rate the chances of a swift end to the Ukrainian conflict very highly due to Russia’s unwillingness to make concessions are surprising, given that he was present at the talks in Anchorage and witnessed the Russian side’s attitude firsthand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT Arabic.

"Right now, they’re saying in the EU: we’re not mediators, we’re firmly on Ukraine’s side. I was surprised that Marco Rubio said the same thing the other day while speaking in Congress," Lavrov admitted. "He said he would like the conflict in Ukraine to end this year, but he doesn’t rate the chances very highly because the parties are not yet ready to make concessions, especially Russia," the top diplomat recalled.

"It is very strange to hear such remarks from a participant in the Anchorage meeting, where Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted the proposal from his US counterpart Donald Trump on 'priority steps that would allow for a cessation of hostilities and the commencement of negotiations on all aspects of a political settlement,'" Lavrov emphasized.