ATHENS, October 8. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the path toward a negotiated way out of the Ukraine conflict has been slippery.

"We stand prepared to facilitate and continue to explore any opportunity for a negotiated settlement. We think it would be good for Russia and Ukraine, but so far, it’s proving elusive," the top US diplomat told the Greek daily Kathimerini in an interview.

Rubio called the conflict a "strategic stalemate" now. "Strategic stalemates are only broken in one of two ways: a) through a negotiated settlement, or b) through escalation by one side or both that ends up spreading beyond the confines of the original conflict. Right now, there don’t seem to be prospects of a negotiated settlement," he noted. Washington is still prepared to play a constructive role though, the diplomat added.