Foreign Secretary Rubio: The stalemate in Ukraine must end.
Rubio emphasized that the stalemate in the conflict in Ukraine must be brought to an end.
According to RIA Novosti on March 6, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the conflict in Ukraine is a proxy war between two nuclear powers – the US and Russia.
""President Donald Trump views this as a protracted, stalemate conflict," Secretary of State Rubio told Fox News.
Rubio emphasized that the stalemate in the conflict in Ukraine must be brought to an end.
The US Secretary of State's statement comes as the Pentagon confirmed that the suspension of arms supplies to Ukraine had begun at 6 p.m. on March 3 (Washington time). The decision to halt arms deliveries applies even to shipments already en route to Ukraine. However, the Pentagon declined to comment on reports of a halt in intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
According to CNN, US President Donald Trump has been making every effort to force Ukraine to participate in peace negotiations with Russia, by immediately suspending military aid.
This move sent shockwaves through the Western world and left Ukraine and its allies bewildered.
Trump offered no explanation for his decision other than saying he believed Ukrainian President Zelensky "doesn't want peace." His advisers told CNN that the pause would remain in place until Trump determines Ukraine has made sufficient commitments to seeking peace talks.
On the Russian side, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the US halting arms supplies to Ukraine would offer hope that Kyiv could move toward a peaceful solution.
Oleksiy Melnyk, an international security expert and former Ukrainian Defense Ministry official, told CNN that U.S. military aid currently accounts for about 30% of Ukraine's weapons and ammunition needs.
"Is it important? Yes," Melnyk said, pointing to Ukraine's persistent shortage of weapons and ammunition.
The Ukrainian armed forces have been worn down by overwhelming firepower and numbers from Russia. And the situation has worsened considerably as the West has reduced its supplies.
“Considering the shortage of ammunition and weapons, even 1% is significant. 30% is certainly very significant. Isn’t that tragic? From what we’ve heard from various sources, Ukraine will be able to maintain this or similar level of violence for about six months,” Melnyk said.
