Marco Rubio stated on Saturday (31/10) that Volodymyr Zelensky could be invited to the G20 summit in Miami in December, if Trump believes that “something positive” could come from his participation.
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Rubio on peace in Ukraine
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, the U.S. Secretary of State said he does not know whether “peace through negotiations is achievable in Ukraine. That is what we are trying to find out. However, I don’t think anyone here would claim that we are close to reaching a negotiated agreement.”
Rubio also revealed that he had a brief exchange with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, regarding the prospect of a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China, on the sidelines of the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit scheduled for November 18–19 in the city of Shenzhen.
The U.S. is considering proposals from Turkey and India on grain shipments
On the issue of the Black Sea, Rubio said there is growing international interest in facilitating a limited ceasefire in that maritime region, in order to ensure the unimpeded transport of energy resources and grain from both Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio stated that the United States is currently reviewing proposals from Turkey and India regarding the transportation of grain shipments. “This threatens global food security and a part of energy security as well,” he emphasized. “We would like to achieve this. It doesn’t solve the issue of the war, but it at least resolves one aspect of it.”
What he said about Iran
Regarding Iran, Rubio said that the American president has not yet made a decision on whether to resume military action against Iran. He also noted that he does not know whether there is a specific timeline for the talks being held under Qatar’s auspices, aimed at resolving hostilities between the U.S. and Iran. Reuters reported earlier that day that Iranian officials were meeting with Qatari mediators in Doha.
On the subject of Flávio Bolsonaro, the head of the State Department stated that Washington had no “direct involvement” in the departure of Flávio Bolsonaro, a former conservative presidential candidate in Brazil, who is currently in the United States.
“We were informed of his arrival in the United States. He already held a valid visa and the president made the decision to approve his entry into the country,” but “the American government was not directly involved in the actions taken” by Flávio Bolsonaro to leave his country, he stressed.
Regarding the Quad, Rubio said that a meeting of Quad leaders in Manila, the Philippines, is “hopefully” to be announced very soon. The top U.S. diplomat made this statement following his meeting with counterparts from the other Quad member states: Japan, Australia, and India.
