Future Secretary of State Rubio: For peace to be achieved, both Ukraine and Russia will need to make concessions.

Former Florida Senator Marco Rubio, nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of Secretary of State, expressed hope for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine during Senate hearings, as reported by the BBC.

He emphasized that both countries will need to make concessions.

"This will not be an easy task and will require bold diplomacy, and I hope we can start with some form of ceasefire," Rubio stated, urging both sides to be realistic.

"The Russian Federation, as well as the Ukrainians, must make concessions, and the United States will facilitate this," he added.

At the same time, he made it clear that Ukraine should be placed in a position of strength before negotiations begin.

"It is also important to have a certain balance from both sides. Essentially, it will be difficult to achieve a ceasefire and ultimately a peaceful resolution if both sides do not have leverage," said the nominee for Secretary of State, speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Background. Meanwhile, media reports suggest that European leaders have convinced Trump that negotiations can only begin by giving Ukraine a position of strength. According to them, two arguments had the strongest influence on Trump's allies: Afghanistan and China.