US ready to help end Ukraine war: Rubio

Manila: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Washington remained committed to helping end the war in Ukraine but acknowledged there was no quick path to a peace deal.

After meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila, Rubio said previous US efforts had been “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful”. “We’ve tried, and we’ll continue to try to find a middle ground that both sides can accept,” he said, adding the Trump administration was ready to play a mediating role if conditions changed.

Russia said Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s willingness to pursue a political and diplomatic settlement but opposed Western arms supplies to Ukraine. Rubio said any breakthrough would require “new suggestions and new ideas” acceptable to both sides, emphasising there had been no change in US military support for Kyiv, with wea­pons continuing to be suppli­ed through Nato allies. —AP