LOC02:10
23:10 GMT
GENEVA, Nov 23 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed on Sunday that "a tremendous amount of progress" has been achieved in the American-Ukrainian talks describing them as "the most fruitful talks" conducted over the past months.
Rubio said in a press conference held at the conclusion of the round of talks held in the US mission in Geneva that the two sides managed to significantly narrow the outstanding points of disagreement though some issues still require continued work.
He stressed that negotiations are going on and that the announcement of an agreement is "very close".
He described today's talks as "the most productive" since the negotiation track began 10 months ago noting that it is an ongoing process and adding "I do not want to declare victory or the end of the negotiations today".
He reported that during the past ninety-six hours or more there had been intensive engagement with the Ukrainian side including the presence of the US Secretary of the Army and other officials on the ground in Kyiv meeting with different stakeholders across the spectrum of Ukrainian politicians including officials from the legislative, executive and military branches.
He said the two delegations discussed the 28 items of the Plan which later evolved into a living working document that changes daily based on agreements.
He unveiled that some items related to the interests or the role of the European Union or NATO were separated for further discussion later with the European side.
He stated that the Russian side is "part of the equation" and must agree to the plan expressing optimism that an agreement can be reached within a reasonable timeframe.
He stressed that there is a will for an agreement. "More people are going to die, more destruction is going to happen. Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible but we need a little more time," he added. (end)
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