By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot about “bringing an end to the Russia-Ukraine war,” the State Department said on Friday.
KEY QUOTE
“The Secretary emphasized President Trump’s determination to achieve, through negotiations, a just and lasting peace, and stressed the United States will continue working with France towards this end,” the State Department said in a statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The U.S. president has said he wants to bring the Ukraine war, launched by Russia when it invaded its neighbor more than three years ago, to an end. Trump has also said Europe must take more responsibility for its security.
CONTEXT
Trump has paused military aid and intelligence sharing to Ukraine to pressure Kyiv to accept a ceasefire deal after an explosive Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a week ago.
While European leaders rallied to Zelenskiy after his clash with Trump, their approach to the Russia-Ukraine war and Europe’s security remains highly dependent on the U.S. president.
Trump has also said that he is “strongly considering” imposing sweeping sanctions, including ones on banking, and tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire and peace agreement is reached with Ukraine.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Chris Reese and Chizu Nomiyama)
