Rubio says war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate

LISBON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Russia's war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate and the United States will keep working toward a settlement to end the conflict.

"We'd love to see a negotiated settlement to this war that is permanent, enduring, and fair. And that's what we're committed to continuing to do," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Portugal.

US President Donald Trump's administration in recent weeks has sought to revive talks to end the 4-year-old conflict – Europe's bloodiest since World War Two, with Ukrainian negotiators set to visit the US for talks on Friday and Saturday.

Mutual drone attacks by Russia and Ukraine this year have gradually spread across the economy, hitting targets from energy facilities and refineries to ports and vessels carrying oil and grain, e-commerce warehouses and, most recently, data centres.

Rubio said escalations could spark a wider conflict.

"That escalation could wind up being a sabotage campaign in neighboring countries that are members of NATO," Rubio said, adding that other things "could quickly turn what is a war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict."

"This war needs to end in a negotiated settlement. The sooner, the better. The United States stands ready to facilitate that. We have tried. We will continue to try. But we're also not going to invest in pointless processes if we can't make progress," Rubio added.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay in Lisbon; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; editing by Michelle Nichols and Doina Chiacu)