Rubio calls territories key point of contention in talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the key subject of dispute in the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine is the issue of the territories.

"What they're literally fighting over now is about 30 to 50 kilometer space and the 20% of the Donetsk region that remains [under Ukrainian control]. And so what we have tried to do – and I think have made some progress – is figure out what could the Ukrainians live with that gives them security guarantees for the future they’re never going to be invaded again, allows them not just to rebuild their economy but to prosper as a country, be a country that has an economy that grows," Rubio said Tuesday in an interview with Fox News.

"These are the kinds of things: stop the war; make sure they never get invaded or attacked again; protect Ukraine’s longstanding and long-term sovereignty and independence so that they don’t become a puppet state – they’re actually independent and sovereign; and allow their economy not just to recover but to prosper and turn it into a story of prosperity. That’s what we’re trying to achieve here".- he added.