Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the press on November 23, 2025, providing an update on ongoing negotiations related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Rubio described significant progress in discussions that have been underway for nearly three weeks, building on a foundational document developed with input from both sides.
"We began almost three weeks ago with a foundational document that we socialized and ran by both sides, and with input from both sides. And one of the things that happens when you’ve been involved in this now for 10 months is you get a pretty good sense of what the priorities and the red lines and the important issues are for both sides. And so that allowed us to create a foundational document, which has been an ongoing working document," said Rubio.
He noted extensive engagement with Ukrainian officials over the past several days, including meetings involving U.S. military representatives in Kyiv. The goal was to narrow down unresolved points within a list of 26 to 28 items under negotiation.
"We arrived here today with one goal, and the goal was to take what – it’s 28 points or 26 points, depending on which version as it continued to evolve, and try to narrow the ones that were open items. And we have achieved that today in a very substantial way," Rubio stated.
Rubio cautioned that while much progress had been made, final agreement would require approval from national leaders and further work on remaining issues. "Now, obviously, like any final agreement, it’ll have to be agreed upon by the presidents, and there are a couple issues that we need to continue to work on... But I can tell you we’ve made substantial progress. Today was the best day we have had in our entire 10 months of working on these issues."
When asked about specific unresolved matters or possible concessions regarding territory or security guarantees for Ukraine similar to NATO's Article 5 provision, Rubio declined to discuss details due to the sensitivity of ongoing talks. "I’m not going to get into the details on the issues. This is a very delicate moment... Some of it is semantics or language; others require higher-level decisions and consultation; others... just need more time."
He explained that some topics involving European Union or NATO interests were set aside for separate discussions with relevant stakeholders: "There were some that involved equities or the role of the EU or of NATO or so forth... those are things we’ll have to discuss with them because it involves them."
Rubio emphasized optimism about reaching an agreement soon but acknowledged further steps were needed: "Our goal is to end this war as soon as possible, but we need a little more time." He added that technical teams would continue working even after leaving Geneva.
Regarding Russian involvement in future stages of negotiation, Rubio confirmed their participation would be necessary: "No matter what we came up with today, obviously we now have to take what we come up with...to the Russian side. That’s another part of this equation. They have to agree to this in order for it to work."
The Secretary also reported meeting national security advisors from various European countries during these talks: "We met with the national security advisors of a variety of countries that were here... We assured them that items that involve both Europe and NATO directly...are items that we sort of agreed to put as part of a separate track because it involves input from them."
In closing remarks about next steps and deadlines—specifically whether an agreement could be reached by Thursday—Rubio said: "The deadline is we want to get this done as soon as possible. Obviously, we’d love it to be Thursday." He reiterated his belief in imminent progress while noting continued casualties underscore urgency.
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