“A year has passed and Russia hasn’t moved,” Kallas said to Rubio, alluding to the fact that Donald Trump’s administration has been in power for more than a year and, despite its proclamations, has failed to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine. “When will you run out of patience?” she asked him.
Rubia “visibly miffed” those words, Axios reported, citing sources. “We’re doing everything we can to end the war. If you think you can do better, go for it. We’re going to back down,” Rubio said, “raising his voice,” according to the server.
The American minister later stated that the United States helps only one of the warring parties, namely Ukraine, which provides intelligence and weapons. European states, however, purchase weapons from the USA through the PURL program. Shortly after Donald Trump took office in the White House, Washington stopped providing military aid to Ukraine.
Axios further wrote that after this “heated exchange of views”, several European ministers intervened in the debate, saying that they still want the US to continue diplomatic efforts between Russia and Ukraine.
According to two sources, Rubio and Kallas later met outside the group on the sidelines of the meeting to “try to defuse the situation.”
According to the website, at a later press conference, Rubio denied that there was any tension with Kallas. The spokesperson of the head of European diplomacy refused to comment on the situation.
US President Donald Trump already claimed in the election campaign that he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours. After that, he talked about a hundred days and then he stopped talking about deadlines altogether. In the negotiations, the American side exclusively pressures Ukraine and tries to get it to give up Donbas in exchange for a cease-fire or peace, which is what Russia demands. However, Ukraine rejects territorial concessions.
