--- title: "Rubio: Kyiv and Moscow have a chance at a plan to resume talks, but the obstacles are serious" description: "U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the consultations of Trump's envoys in Moscow and Kyiv substantive, but pointed to serious obstacles. In the coming weeks, he said, a plan to resume the dialogue could be ready." date: 2026-09-09T05:56:01.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/rubio-chance-to-resume-talks-kyiv-moscow tags: [marco-rubio, ukraine-russia-talks, us-diplomacy, peace-negotiations, trump-envoys] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Rubio: Kyiv and Moscow have a chance at a plan to resume talks, but the obstacles are serious ![Marco Rubio speaking in front of the US flag about the chances of resuming talks between Kyiv and Moscow](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/09/rubio-shansy-vozobnovleniya-peregovorov-kiyev-moskva/rubio-shansy-vozobnovleniya-peregovorov-kiyev-moskva-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Rubio assessed the chances of resuming negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow cautiously: not optimistically, but not pessimistically either. - The consultations of Trump's envoys in Moscow and Kyiv were called "substantive," with "new ideas" put forward and a "general openness" noted. - Special envoys Witkoff and Kushner held a three-hour meeting with Putin in the Kremlin on September 5, then met with Zelensky in Kyiv. - According to Rubio, a plan of action to resume negotiations could be developed in the coming weeks, although significant obstacles remain. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a cautious, but not pessimistic, assessment of the prospects for resuming direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. According to him, the consultations held over the weekend, involving the U.S. president's special envoys in Kyiv and Moscow, took place in a "substantive" vein, although significant obstacles on the path to a settlement still remain. The statement came against the backdrop of an active diplomatic itinerary by American mediators, who managed to visit both the Kremlin and the Ukrainian capital within a matter of days. ### "Not overly optimistic, but not pessimistic either" Commenting on the chances of a shift in the negotiation process, the head of the American foreign policy department deliberately emphasized that he did not want to "be overly optimistic," while at the same time not considering the situation hopeless. "I don't want to be overly optimistic, but I am also not pessimistic that there is an opportunity in the coming weeks to develop a plan of action to resume negotiations and reach a solution acceptable to both sides," Rubio stated. Thus, Washington publicly fixed a time horizon of "several weeks" within which, in his expectation, a concrete plan of action could be formed. ### "Substantive" consultations and new ideas In the Secretary of State's assessment, during the visits of the American envoys to Moscow and Kyiv, "new ideas" were put forward, and a certain "general openness" to the proposals was discernible in the parties' positions. At the same time, Rubio did not exaggerate the results achieved and directly warned that serious obstacles to concluding an agreement remain. Such a formulation β€” between optimism and pessimism β€” reflects Washington's cautious position, which does not want either to devalue the diplomatic work or to create false expectations of a quick breakthrough on the part of the parties. ### The special envoys' route: from the Kremlin to Kyiv The context for Rubio's statement was the tight schedule of the American mediators. U.S. presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on September 5, which lasted more than three hours. After that, they moved to Kyiv and met with Vladimir Zelensky; Kushner stated at the end that the negotiation process was "moving forward." Witkoff, in turn, reported "significant progress" in the discussions on ending the war and on coordinating the schedule of further meetings. It was precisely these two visits that Rubio called "substantive." ### What this means for the negotiation track The totality of signals from Washington indicates that the American administration is treating the coming weeks as a key period for forming a framework plan for a settlement. The formulations about "new ideas," "general openness," and "significant progress" indicate that the dialogue at the mediator level has moved from searching for common ground to discussing concrete proposals. At the same time, the emphasis on "significant obstacles" serves as a reminder that the path to a solution acceptable to both sides remains long, and Rubio's public restraint is an indicator that the White House is not ready to guarantee success even in the presence of positive dynamics. ## πŸ” Fact-Check Verification - [Ukraine and Russia talks could resume in the coming weeks, US preparing a plan, - Rubio](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/peregovori-ukrayini-ta-rf-mozhut-vidnovitisya-1788933181.html) - Основной источник: заявлСниС Π ΡƒΠ±ΠΈΠΎ ΠΎ ΡΠΎΠ΄Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ°Ρ‚Π΅Π»ΡŒΠ½Ρ‹Ρ… ΠΊΠΎΠ½ΡΡƒΠ»ΡŒΡ‚Π°Ρ†ΠΈΡΡ… ΠΈ возмоТности ΠΏΠ»Π°Π½Π° Π² блиТайшиС Π½Π΅Π΄Π΅Π»ΠΈ. - [New ideas... about a "three-way" meeting? Rubio spoke about the talks in Moscow and Kyiv](https://ukraina.ru/20260909/novye-idei-o-vstreche-na-troikh-rubio-rasskazal-o-peregovorakh-v-moskve-i-kieve-1083089305.html) - ΠŸΠΎΠ΄Ρ‚Π²Π΅Ρ€ΠΆΠ΄Π°Π΅Ρ‚ ΡƒΠΏΠΎΠΌΠΈΠ½Π°Π½ΠΈΠ΅ Β«Π½ΠΎΠ²Ρ‹Ρ… ΠΈΠ΄Π΅ΠΉΒ» ΠΈ обсуТдСний Π² МосквС ΠΈ КиСвС. - [Rubio considers possible the prompt development of a plan for a settlement in Ukraine](https://vesti.az/v-mire/rubio-scitaet-vozmoznoi-skoruyu-razrabotku-plana-po-uregulirovaniyu-na-ukraine-614241) - БогласуСтся с тСзисом ΠΎ скорой Ρ€Π°Π·Ρ€Π°Π±ΠΎΡ‚ΠΊΠ΅ ΠΏΠ»Π°Π½Π° урСгулирования. - [Rubio: New substantive proposals were discussed in Moscow and Kyiv](https://vesti.az/v-mire/rubio-v-moskve-i-kieve-obsuzdali-novye-soderzatelnye-predlozeniya-614237) - БогласуСтся с тСзисом ΠΎ скорой Ρ€Π°Π·Ρ€Π°Π±ΠΎΡ‚ΠΊΠ΅ ΠΏΠ»Π°Π½Π° урСгулирования. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: How did Marco Rubio assess the chances of resuming negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow? **A:** Cautiously: he stated that he did not want to be overly optimistic, but was not pessimistic either, and pointed to the possibility of developing a plan of action to resume negotiations in the coming weeks. ### Q: What happened during the visits of the American envoys to Moscow and Kyiv? **A:** Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held more than three hours of talks with Putin in the Kremlin on September 5, then met with Zelensky in Kyiv; at the end, Witkoff reported "significant progress." ### Q: Do obstacles on the path to a settlement remain? **A:** Yes. Rubio directly warned that significant obstacles persist, despite the "new ideas" and "general openness" of the proposals.