“I think there’s no doubt at this point that most observers around the world, and I would say some people in Russia, have no doubt that the invasion of Ukraine was a strategic disaster for them (the Russians),” Rubio said Wednesday during an official hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill.
“They will definitely not achieve the goals they set on the first day. And they may never even succeed militarily in achieving the goals they are now demanding in the negotiations,” he said in a speech broadcast by Reuters.
“I would also say that we also see it this way,” he continued. “This war does not have a military solution, it must be solved through negotiations. Unfortunately, it has reached a dead end,” stated the head of American diplomacy.
He emphasized that the Ukrainians have been making some progress on the battlefield in recent months. According to him, the task of the United States is now to find a way to negotiate a peace settlement. “It is difficult because the demands of both sides to end the conflict have been very far from each other until now,” said Rubio.
The head of American diplomacy spoke about the situation in Russia and Ukraine on the day when several thousand delegates gathered in St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, for the three-day International Economic Forum.
After the Ukrainian drone attack on the St. Petersburg oil terminal and the Russian naval base Kronstadt, black smoke rose over part of the city, which was also visible from the conference venue. According to the Kyiv Post portal, Putin is to deliver a keynote speech at the forum anyway on Friday.
Only with the permission of Kyiv
Kiev described its strikes deep in Russia as “just retaliation” for Russia’s incessant bombing of Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. At a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, according to the portal, that Ukraine is reacting “appropriately” to Russian attacks.
“It is only a matter of time before we can increase the intensity of our reactions,” said Zelensky.
Rutte then took a dig at the head of the Kremlin. According to the Kyiv Post, he indicated that Putin now needs Kyiv’s permission to hold large public events without interruption.
“Ukraine is now so successful that Putin is able to organize a parade on May 9 with the official presidential decree of this president,” said the head of NATO, pointing to Zelensky. “I think you let him do it for two hours? And it was over in an hour and 55 minutes, so he wasn’t taking any chances,” Rutte concluded.
Photo: Thomas Peter, Reuters
NATO chief Mark Rutte before a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
