The war between Russia and Ukraine has reached a "strategic impasse" and there are no possibilities to end it diplomatically. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated this in an interview with "Kathimerini" magazine during his visit to Athens. According to him, it is possible to get out of the created situation either through negotiations, or through escalation by one or both parties. "There are no prospects for a diplomatic settlement at the moment," Rubio said, because Russia is putting forward complete control over Donbas as a precondition, and Ukraine considers it unacceptable. He said that the US shares "the concern of the whole world about the danger of escalation of the conflict", which eventually "may affect other countries as well and turn into a larger-scale confrontation". According to Rubio, "there are clear signs" that Putin "intends to use the coming winter to completely destroy Ukraine's energy system and force it to capitulate." At the same time, the armed forces of Ukraine have expanded their capabilities to carry out long-range strikes on the territory of Russia, the head of the State Department emphasized. In addition, attacks on ships in the Black Sea continue. He stressed that the United States, as before, is ready to play a constructive role in the negotiation process to contribute to the conclusion of a peace agreement. "We have already tried to do this in the past, but for now that goal remains out of reach... This war has been going on for the fifth year, although no one had planned such a development from the beginning. I don't think that Putin imagined this conflict in this way, so the events did not go according to the scenario he drew," Rubio concluded. On September 23, the Kremlin announced that they do not see any prerequisites for a "peaceful path of negotiations" with Kiev. "Militarization of Ukraine continues. European states are trying to find new ways to buy weapons. The Kiev regime continues its rather terrorist activities," said Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the president. In late August and early September, CIA director John Ratcliffe, as well as Trump's representatives Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner, visited Moscow to settle the issue. However, according to Bloomberg's sources, Putin has not shown any willingness to soften his position. According to the interlocutors of the agency, in the next six months, Russia is planning to attack Ukraine's energy system and heat supply infrastructures to make the lives of civilians unbearable, as well as in Europe. in order to intensify raids and undermine the support provided to Kyiv. According to the data of The New York Times, Putin assured that his army will occupy the entire Donbas "in the coming months", which is currently controlled by about 80 percent. In response to that, Kushner reminded that the Russian president made the same promises a year ago, and did not rule out that he will say the same thing again a year later, the source of the periodical said.