The secretary of state, heading to talks with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia, said future talks with Moscow will be needed to determine what Russia is willing to give up to end the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Ukraine would have to make concessions over land that Russia had taken since 2014 as part of any agreement to end the war.
Mr. Rubio spoke as he was flying to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for talks with senior Ukrainian officials, and 10 days after a contentious White House meeting between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. The Trump administration halted military aid to Ukraine after the blowup, which centered on Mr. Trump’s refusal to include any security guarantees in a proposed deal involving Ukraine’s natural resources.
Russia is collapsing - this war is absolutely draining their economy. The questions are whether Ukraine could keep that momentum if the US suddenly cuts off communication media and whether continuing a war to a victorious position is worth the cost to Ukrainians. I'm not there, I don't get any input on the decision, but I'm absolutely understanding of my Ukrainian coworker that fled the country and wouldn't ill judge Ukraine seeking an earlier peace in exchange for concessions.
51% of respondents in December 2024 said that Ukraine should not give up any of its territories "under no circumstances... even if this would prolong the war and threaten the preservation of independence."
I don't believe that Rubio has earned that distinction in the slightest, even in a derogatory manner. In fact, I am pretty sure that he has only ever once walked onto a used car lot and that resulted in only two things happening. One, learning that he ought not walk onto a used car lot. And two, the true value of a high mileage Jeep.