US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave a detailed comment to the press in Manila regarding the peace proposals put forward by Russia last year in Anchorage. According to him, this plan did not work because it was unacceptable to Ukraine.
Why the '3+2' plan failed
Rubio answered journalists' questions about how relevant the Russian proposals voiced during the negotiations in Anchorage are today. He emphasized that a peace agreement cannot be concluded if at least one of the parties does not agree with its terms. In this case, the Ukrainian side rejected the proposed option.
"The proposals that were reported — they call it '3 + 2', division of territories — these attempts failed. After all, a peace agreement cannot be concluded unless both parties agree to it, and the Ukrainians did not agree to it. That is why these efforts did not yield results," the US Secretary of State stated.
New ideas instead of old concepts
In Rubio's opinion, if peace is ever achieved, it will be thanks to new ideas and new concepts. He noted that the option proposed earlier was unacceptable to Ukraine then and is probably even less acceptable now.
"In fact, it is probably even less acceptable to them. Therefore, I believe that if peace comes, it will be thanks to some new ideas and new concepts. And we are ready to offer some of them under appropriate conditions and form," Rubio said.
Meeting with Lavrov and assessment of losses
In Manila, Rubio held a meeting with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov. At this meeting, the need to end the war against Ukraine was discussed. In addition, the US Secretary of State voiced his assessment of Russian military losses in the conflict: according to his data, the number of killed and wounded is from five to six thousand people per week.
These data highlight the seriousness of the situation and the need to find new ways to resolve the conflict. For now, old proposals remain in the past, and the parties continue to look for new solutions.
