"The Europeans and the EU have their own set of sanctions on Russia. Even if we lifted all of our sanctions, which none of that was discussed, the Europeans would have to lift sanctions too in order for something to be possible. So they'll all have to be consulted at some point, just not at that stage yet," Rubio said in an interview with Catherine Herridge.
"We didn't engage in any specifics about territories... that wasn't the purpose of that meeting," he pointed out.
"We're going to disagree on a lot, but we can work on the things we might potentially agree on, or de-conflict on things that could lead to dangerous confrontations, as long as this Ukraine impediment stands in the way," the US official added.
"At the end, whether we like it or not, Russia is a power, a global power, and they're involved and engaged in Syria; they've been involved and engaged in the Middle East, even in the Western Hemisphere, certainly in Europe," Rubio stated.