The agreement to end the war in Ukraine must be acceptable to all parties involved, including Ukraine, Russia and Europe, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today, BTA reports.
He made the statement after talks between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia, which were also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Reuters reports.
Rubio stressed that no party would be excluded from the process and that the European Union would be included in the negotiations at a later stage.
"All parties involved in the conflict must agree to the terms for ending it. Our goal is to achieve a just, lasting and sustainable peace," the American diplomat said.
According to him, during the meeting in Riyadh, an agreement was reached between Washington and Moscow in four key areas.
"The next steps include restoring full diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia," Rubio specified.
He added that special teams would be appointed to work on restoring the functionality of the embassies in Moscow and Washington.
"We still have a long way to go. Today's meeting was just the first step in a complex and difficult process," Rubio emphasized, noting that Moscow had demonstrated readiness for a serious commitment to the negotiations.