Washington, Feb 4, (NationPress) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that technical military teams from both Ukraine and Russia are engaged in direct discussions with US participation, labeling this involvement as a significant milestone, albeit with a caution that the most challenging issues are still to be resolved.

“For the first time in quite a while, we have technical military representatives from both Ukraine and Russia convening in a forum that includes our participation,” Rubio shared with reporters, indicating the discussions currently happening in Abu Dhabi.

He noted that US delegates Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will also engage in parts of the discussions, emphasizing the ongoing US diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict.

A US official, who spoke anonymously, informed IANS that the discussions had made progress. “Today’s dialogues between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia were fruitful, and will resume tomorrow morning,” the official remarked.

Rubio indicated that while the mere existence of talks should not be misconstrued as a breakthrough, he considered the engagement significant. “I don’t want to claim that talks alone are progress, but it’s encouraging that there’s engagement happening,” he stated.

He cautioned that due to the delicate nature of the negotiations, any tangible advancements might not be disclosed publicly until a breakthrough is achieved. “Progress isn’t likely to be known, even through leaks, until we reach a significant breakthrough,” Rubio mentioned.

The Secretary highlighted that the US has dedicated considerable time and resources to this process over the past year. “We’ve devoted a year to this. We believe we’ve made substantial progress,” he asserted.

Rubio also pointed out that the number of outstanding issues between Kyiv and Moscow has decreased over the last year. “When comparing the list of unresolved items from a year ago to now, the list has been significantly shortened,” he stated.

However, he acknowledged that the remaining issues are the most challenging to resolve. “The unfortunate reality is that the remaining items are the most difficult, and the war persists,” Rubio added.

He affirmed that the United States will continue to invest a high level of effort in the negotiations. “We will strive to explore every avenue to see if a breakthrough is possible,” Rubio said.

He noted that endeavors to conclude armed conflicts often appear fruitless until circumstances shift suddenly. “Often, it seems completely hopeless until you achieve a breakthrough that is sometimes unexpected,” he stated, using Gaza as an example where persistence eventually yielded results.