US State Department: High-level talks with Russia are not yet possible. The IMF believes the war will last at least until the end of the year.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that it is too early to expect high-level discussions between the US and Russia. For now, the White House is assessing the Kremlin’s response to Washington’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine, and “more progress at the technical level” is required.

Meanwhile, the IMF observed that, according to the updated baseline forecast, the war in Ukraine could conclude in the final months of 2025, although “the risks remain exceptionally high.”

A member of the Russian negotiating team stated that a ceasefire will not occur by the end of this year. In this context, Grigory Karasin, the head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, described the talks with the US as “calm” and “constructive,” but acknowledged their limited success.

However, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, noted that an ineffective peace agreement could be worse than having no peace at all. He indicated that a frozen conflict would be the worst-case scenario, and that current efforts should focus on achieving a genuine and sustainable resolution to the conflict.