Secretary Rubio: The Stagnant Conflict in Ukraine Must Be Ended
Mr. Rubio stressed that the deadlocked conflict in Ukraine needs to be ended.
According to RIA Novosti on March 6, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the conflict in Ukraine is a proxy war between two nuclear powers – the US and Russia.
“President Donald Trump sees this as a long-term, stalemate conflict," Secretary of State Rubio told Fox News.
Mr. Rubio stressed that the deadlocked conflict in Ukraine needs to be ended.
The US Secretary of State's statement came as the Pentagon confirmed that the suspension of arms supplies to Ukraine had taken place, starting at 6 p.m. on March 3 (Washington time). The decision to temporarily suspend arms supplies also applies to shipments already en route to Ukraine. However, the Pentagon declined to comment on reports of a halt in intelligence supplies to Ukraine.
According to CNN, US President Donald Trump has been making every effort to force Ukraine to enter peace negotiations with Russia, by immediately suspending military aid.
The move sent shockwaves across the Western world and left Ukraine and its allies baffled.
Trump did not explain his decision other than to say he believed Ukrainian President Zelensky “did not want peace.” His advisers told CNN that the pause would remain in place until Trump determined Ukraine had made enough of a commitment to seek peace talks.
On the Russian side, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the US's suspension of arms supplies to Ukraine would give hope that Kiev could move towards a peaceful solution.
Oleksiy Melnyk, an international security expert and former Ukrainian Defense Ministry official, told CNN that US military aid currently accounts for about 30% of Ukraine's arms and ammunition needs.
“Is it important? Yes,” said Mr. Melnyk, pointing to Ukraine’s persistent shortages of weapons and ammunition.
Ukraine's armed forces have been decimated by Russian firepower and numbers. And the situation has been made worse by the reduction in supplies from the West.
“Considering the shortage of ammunition and weapons, even 1% is very important. 30% is definitely very important. Is it tragic? According to what we hear from various sources, Ukraine will be able to maintain this or a similar level of violence for about six months,” Melnyk said.