Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed recent developments in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict during an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News. Rubio described a meeting attended by President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders, including the heads of NATO and the EU.
Rubio stated, "Well, I think the whole thing was a big moment, unprecedented really when you think about all these European leaders came here – seven that were there, and that included the head of the – of NATO and the head of the EU. And they all said the same thing, which is this – after three years of sort of deadlock and no talks and no change in circumstances, this is the first time where there seems to be some movement."
He acknowledged that while progress has been made toward peace talks after years of stalemate in Ukraine, challenges remain. According to Rubio, "Now look, this is a complicated war. There’s no doubt about it. I mean, this has been going on for three and a half years. A lot of people have died, a lot of territories exchanged back and forth, so it’s not an easy thing to unwind." He added that under previous policies there had been little movement but now there are active discussions about pathways toward ending the conflict.
On security guarantees for Ukraine following any potential peace deal, Rubio explained: "Well, what’s being contemplated – look, any sovereign country in the world has a right to enter into security alliances with other countries. It’s not just NATO. We have such alliances with South Korea. We have it with Japan... And so I think everyone would acknowledge – including, by the way, for the first time the Russian side under President Trump’s sort of pressure or suggestion – is that in fact a Ukraine post-conflict has a right to enter into security agreements with other countries."
He continued: "We will work with our European allies, and non-European countries by the way, to build such a security guarantee. We’re working on that right now. We’ll continue to work on that." Rubio also noted changes in military support: "We’re no longer giving Ukraine weapons. We’re no longer giving Ukraine money. We are now selling them weapons, and European countries are paying for it through NATO."
Rubio confirmed he was present when President Trump spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin: "I was... And in that conversation...the President suggested that Zelenskyy and Putin meet...which again would be unprecedented." He outlined hopes for further meetings involving all three leaders—Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy—to work toward finalizing an agreement.
Regarding negotiations over territory controlled during hostilities—a central issue—Rubio said: "Yeah, I don’t think it’s helpful to go into all the details of that...But let me just say this about it: I think everyone understands that some of the key elements to bringing this about is Ukraine has to feel safe moving forward...In essence one side is not going to get 100 percent here. Each side is going to have to make some concessions."
He emphasized U.S. efforts as facilitators rather than direct decision-makers: "In the end what those lines look like are up to Putin and up to Zelenskyy and up to the Ukrainian side...We are going to be there to facilitate that..."
Rubio credited President Trump as uniquely positioned among world leaders: "And by the way...the only leader in the world that can talk to both [Putin and Zelenskyy]...is Donald J. Trump..." He characterized Trump as committed to seeking peaceful resolutions.
The interview concluded with lighthearted remarks regarding recent symbolic gestures from Ukrainian leadership.
