WASHINGTON
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday he is "cautiously optimistic" about ending the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, maintaining that there is still work to be done.
"I think there is reason to be cautiously optimistic. But by the same token, we continue to recognize this is a difficult and complex situation," Rubio told the reporters on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Canada.
"It will not be easy, it will not be simple, but we certainly feel like we're at least some steps closer to ending this war and bringing peace. But it's still a long journey," said Rubio.
After US special envoy Steven Witkoff return from oversea, Rubio said they will reconvene and President Donald Trump will "have options available to him, and decisions will be made after that."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday met with Witkoff. The president welcomed the US-backed 30-day ceasefire plan in Ukraine, also accepted by Kyiv, but said any truce must lead to a final settlement that would address the root causes of the conflict.
Rubio reiterated that there is no military solution to the war.
"Two separate processes. Process number one is, what do we need from both sides in order to stop the shooting and the fighting so that you can get to a negotiating table, that's the second phase," he said.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine can achieve its "maximalist" military aims, he said.
"The only way to end this war is through a process of negotiations. Negotiations, be it in business, in commerce or in geopolitics, involves both sides giving something, both sides making concessions. That's just obvious," he added.