US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that ending Russia's war against Ukraine depends primarily on resolving the territorial issue of Donbas. In his view, a peace agreement can only be achieved through diplomacy, and both sides will have to make certain concessions.
Rubio stated this in an interview with Indian TV channel India Today. The secretary of state's remarks were also noted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alex Raufoglu.
According to the head of the State Department, the central contradiction is that Russia demands the transfer of Donbas territories that it was unable to capture militarily, while Ukraine refuses to retreat from them.
Rubio emphasized that Kyiv has strong reasons not to agree to Russian territorial demands. These are related both to state sovereignty and to ensuring the country's long-term security.
However, the American diplomat believes that the continuation of hostilities alone will not resolve the territorial dispute.
"This war will not be resolved militarily. It will only end diplomatically," — Rubio said.
In his opinion, the negotiators need to find a version of an agreement in which each side will receive certain advantages, but simultaneously agree to compromises.
"The question is whether an outcome can be achieved in which both sides gain something, but also make concessions to put an end to this," the secretary of state explained.
However, Rubio did not name specific territorial or political concessions that Washington considers acceptable for Ukraine and Russia.
The US is ready to continue mediating
The head of American diplomacy noted that President Donald Trump's administration is devoting significant resources to finding ways to end the war.
According to him, there are employees in the American administration who work daily exclusively on finding solutions to overcome the differences between Kyiv and Moscow.
Rubio stressed that even with significant divergences in the parties' positions, negotiations must continue.
"No matter how difficult it is, achieving a result is impossible if both sides do not sit down at the negotiating table," — he said.
The US is ready to act as a mediator in this process, but, as the secretary of state noted, a meeting between representatives of Ukraine and Russia itself does not yet guarantee the achievement of a peace agreement.
Rubio previously called the territorial issue of Donbas one of the main obstacles to ending the war.
As Kurs.com.ua reported on October 21, Washington and Kyiv are discussing new options for resolving disagreements regarding the part of Donbas controlled by Ukraine.
At that time, the secretary of state said that American negotiators had prepared several unconventional proposals that they plan to present to the Russian side. Their content had not been publicly disclosed.
In the new interview, Rubio again emphasized the need for mutual concessions, but did not announce any agreements on the territorial issue.
The Ukrainian leadership has repeatedly stated that it will not agree to the transfer to Russia of territories that remain under Ukraine's control. Moscow, in turn, continues to insist on its territorial demands.
Thus, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts by the US, the key differences between Kyiv and Moscow on the Donbas issue remain unresolved.
