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Ukraine will have to accept the Russian control of a territory as part of a peace deal, the US Supreme diplomat said Monday on the eve of talks between Washington and Kyiv in Saudi Arabia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on his way to high -level talks in Jeddah that “Russians cannot conquer Ukraine, and it will undoubtedly be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time to introduce the Russians to return all over the country in 2014.”
Rubio’s comments, which allude to the borders of Ukraine before the annexation of Russia of Crimea in 2014, eight years before Moscow began its full -scale occupation of Ukraine, point out how the Trump administration has taken a much tougher attitude with Kyiv than Joe Biden’s government.
Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia come at an important moment, about 10 days after a public spat in the White House between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump about the origin of Russia’s occupation and the future of American aid as Washington tries to intercede the conflict.
Trump has since interrupted military aid and intelligence sharing in Kyiv, but Zelenskyy has made some overtaking in the White House over the past week, including a promise to sign a deal giving the opportunity to use Critical Ukrainian minerals, making some friction facilitate.
Zelenskyy said in the telegram on Monday evening that “the Ukrainian position in the meeting will be absolutely constructive”. He added that he had spoken to Mohammed bin Salman, the prince of the crown of Saudi Arabia, about “the steps and conditions that could end the war and make peace reliable and enduring.”
Speaking to reporters during his flight to Saudi Arabia on Monday, Rubio said he hoped that military aid would be restored.
“I think the notion of the pause in aid, widely, is something that I hope we can solve. Of course what happens tomorrow will be essential to this,” he said.
Informed officials on preparations for negotiations in Saudi Arabia said KyIw was set to propose a partial ceasefire with Russia for long distances and rocket strikes and combat operations in the Black Sea, hoping that the advancement of the talks would lead to Washington to return his decision to raise the intelligence decision.
Trump has faced criticism inside and internationally to put excessive pressure on Ukraine to make concessions and giving Russia an advantage in talks on a peace deal that Washington is running in parallel songs. Russian and Ukrainian officials have not started direct negotiations.
While Trump threatened Russia with additional sanctions and tariffs last week, he has remained publicly critical to Zelenskyy – including calling for elections in Ukraine that can lead to his removal. Speaking to reporters at Air Force One while returning to Washington from Florida on Sunday, he continued pressure on Kyiv.
“I want them to love peace, right?” said the US president.
“Well, now they haven’t shown it to the extent they need. I think now they don’t have it, but I think they will be, and I think it will become visible over the next two or three days,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told Trump that he wanted to see “positive” talks between leading US and Ukrainian officials who would pave the way for a resumption of Washington’s military aid and sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
“The prime minister said he hoped he would have a positive result for talks that would enable US intelligence assistance and division on Monday,” a Downing Street spokesman said on Monday. The White House has not released her account for the conversation.
Starmer has positioned himself as one of Europe’s essential players in conflict, helping along with French President Emmanuel Macron to calm Zelenskyy’s relationship with Trump and collect a coalition of European powers ready to place troops in Ukraine to guarantee a peace deal.
A Downing Road spokesman said the prime minister told Trump that the UK officials had spoken with Ukraine representatives on the weekend, receiving guarantees from this that they “remain committed to sustainable peace”.
On Saturday, Starmer will host a virtual meeting of a group of mainly European and Commonwealth countries willing to help secure a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.
