Top US Priority on Russia–Ukraine War Is Reaching Immediate Cease-Fire, Rubio Says

Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet Putin in Turkey on May 15 after Trump told him to immediately accept the Kremlin leader’s proposal of direct talks.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the audience during a final press conference as part of the meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ministers of Foreign Affairs at NATO's headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2025. Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States’ position on the Russia–Ukraine war is reaching a point where an “immediate cease-fire” can be declared between the two sides, according to the State Department.

During a call with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Rubio said the “top priority remains bringing an end to the fighting and an immediate cease-fire” in the Russia–Ukraine conflict, according to a State Department readout of the call.