KINGSTON, Jamaica: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday the United States will examine Russia’s requested conditions for agreements with Ukraine, but cautioned that a peace deal would take time.
“It won’t be simple. It’ll take some time, but at least we’re on that road and we’re talking about these things,” Rubio told a news conference in Jamaica.
Russia and Ukraine agreed in parallel separate talks with US envoys in Saudi Arabia to halt strikes in the Black Sea, as President Donald Trump pushes for an end to the war.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that a revival of a deal on Black Sea shipping was subject to “a number of conditions” and that Russia was discussing sanctions relief from the United States.
“We’re going to evaluate that. Some of those conditions include sanctions that are not ours. They belong to the European Union,” Rubio said.
He said that the US negotiators would meet and “then we’ll present that to the president, who will ultimately make a decision about what the next step” is.
“I think it’s a good thing that we have both the Ukrainians and the Russians talking about ceasefires, be they energy or be they potentially in the Black Sea,” Rubio said.
Rubio had earlier called on Russia to accept without preconditions a proposed 30-day general ceasefire agreed by Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, renewed the call on Russia to accept without conditions and said it was “much too early” to consider lifting sanctions.
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Rubio says US to examine Russia conditions, peace to ‘take time’
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Rubio says US to examine Russia conditions, peace to ‘take time’
- “It’ll take some time, but at least we’re on that road,” Rubio said
- The Kremlin said Wednesday that a revival of a deal on Black Sea shipping was subject to “a number of conditions“
Philippines says fishermen injured in China Coast Guard encounter
MANILA: Three Filipino fishermen were injured when China Coast Guard vessels sprayed their boats with water cannons and cut their anchor lines in a disputed area of the South China Sea, Philippine authorities said Saturday.
Beijing said Friday it had taken “necessary control measures,” involved about 20 Philippine fishing boats near the flashpoint Sabina Shoal, a fish-rich area about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the island of Palawan.
It was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in the contested waterway, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The fishermen were “were targeted with water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers,” a Philippine coast guard spokesman said in a statement Saturday.
“Three fishermen sustained physical injuries, including bruises and open wounds. Two (Filipino fishing boats) also suffered significant damage from high-pressure water cannon blasts,” Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
Small Chinese rigid hull inflatable vessels had also “deliberately cut the anchor lines of several (boats),” he added.
In a statement released Saturday, the China Coast Guard said it had taken “necessary control measures against the Philippine vessels ... including issuing warnings via loudspeaker and conducting external maneuvering to drive them away.”
Video released by the Philippine side showed water cannon blasts crashing over the small fishing boats. Tarriela told AFP the high-powered streams had “destroyed wooden structures” on the vessels.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
In October, the Philippines accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming one of its government vessels in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has sought to assert its sovereignty claims for years. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident.
A month earlier, one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of another fisheries bureau vessel near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.
Beijing said Friday it had taken “necessary control measures,” involved about 20 Philippine fishing boats near the flashpoint Sabina Shoal, a fish-rich area about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the island of Palawan.
It was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in the contested waterway, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The fishermen were “were targeted with water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers,” a Philippine coast guard spokesman said in a statement Saturday.
“Three fishermen sustained physical injuries, including bruises and open wounds. Two (Filipino fishing boats) also suffered significant damage from high-pressure water cannon blasts,” Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
Small Chinese rigid hull inflatable vessels had also “deliberately cut the anchor lines of several (boats),” he added.
In a statement released Saturday, the China Coast Guard said it had taken “necessary control measures against the Philippine vessels ... including issuing warnings via loudspeaker and conducting external maneuvering to drive them away.”
Video released by the Philippine side showed water cannon blasts crashing over the small fishing boats. Tarriela told AFP the high-powered streams had “destroyed wooden structures” on the vessels.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
In October, the Philippines accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming one of its government vessels in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has sought to assert its sovereignty claims for years. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident.
A month earlier, one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of another fisheries bureau vessel near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.
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