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Europe plays critical role in Ukraine settlement efforts — Rubio

US Secretary of State made the remarks at talks with UK, Italian, French and German top diplomats in Antalya, Turkey on the sidelines of a NATO Informal Foreign Ministers Meeting

WASHINGTON, May 15. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Europe plays an important role in the effort to reach a peace settlement for Ukraine, according to a statement from the State Department.

He made the remarks at talks with UK, Italian, French and German top diplomats in Antalya, Turkey on the sidelines of a NATO Informal Foreign Ministers Meeting.

"Rubio briefed the ministers on President Trump’s efforts to halt the senseless bloodshed in Ukraine and emphasized that European leadership is critical for getting Russia and Ukraine to negotiate in good faith for a swift and durable peace settlement," State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in the statement.

"The secretary and foreign ministers agreed on the urgent need to increase NATO burden-sharing and European defense spending," the statement went on to say. "Rubio stressed that US defense companies are integral to the transatlantic industrial base and should not be sidelined in Europe’s rearmament efforts."

The diplomats also discussed Syria, Iran and China.