Such a statement was made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
«Ultimately, we must be able to negotiate with a country that, in some cases, has the largest stockpile of tactical nuclear weapons in the world and the second largest, if not the largest, stockpile of strategic nuclear weapons in the world», — stated the U.S. Secretary of State.
He also stated that the purpose of the meeting with the Russian side in Riyadh was to determine whether Russia is ready for real peace negotiations regarding Ukraine. The parties did not discuss territorial issues or the lifting of sanctions.