US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told European allies that Washington wants a peace agreement for Ukraine before agreeing to any security guarantees for Kiev, Politico reports.
According to the publication's source, Rubio mentioned several other issues that need to be resolved after the agreement is concluded. According to European partners, these include the territorial integrity of Ukraine and frozen Russian assets.
The head of the US Army, General Daniel Driscoll, has tried to convince European diplomats of the need for a quick resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing its sources.
European diplomats have gathered in Kiev for a meeting with Driscoll to discuss the American plan for resolving the conflict. Unnamed Western officials told the newspaper that one of the arguments of the US Army Secretary for the importance of a quick resolution of the Ukrainian crisis was his claim that Russia produces so many long-range missiles that it has the capacity to expand its arsenal.
Earlier, NBC News reported that Driscoll told the authorities in Kiev that Ukraine's defeat was inevitable. According to the channel's sources, the minister described Ukraine's situation on the battlefield as extremely difficult. In addition, the American delegation informed that the American military-industrial complex cannot continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and air defense systems in the quantities it needs, NBC News sources indicate.