Rubio details Washington's role in the war in Ukraine
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
Washington's role is to help bring an end to the bloody and deadly war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a joint press conference with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Read also: Peace deal only with public approval - Zelenskyy names possible referendum timeline
"We view the United States' role as one to try to facilitate the end to a very deadly, very bloody, and very costly war. There is horrible suffering… The deaths, regardless of what the numbers are on both sides, weigh too high," Rubio said.
He also highlighted the dire situation in Kyiv, pointing to the lack of electricity and heating during the coldest time of the year.
Rubio added that President Donald Trump spent the past year exploring whether Washington could act as a mediator to negotiate peace.
"The president has spent a year at the highest levels of our government trying to define whether we can be facilitators of a negotiated end to this terrible conflict," he said.
US aims to end war in Ukraine by summer
The US under Trump's administration has been trying to end the war in Ukraine for over a year, but progress on formal peace documents only began in November 2025.
Initially, a 28-point peace plan was streamlined into a 20-point plan, which includes security guarantees and measures for Ukraine's economic recovery. While much of the plan is ready, the most sensitive issues remain Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Recent reports suggested that Ukraine is preparing for presidential elections and a referendum on a peace deal.
Sources cited by the Financial Times say the Trump administration wants both votes completed by May 15, warning that failing to do so could jeopardize Ukraine's proposed security guarantees.
Reuters also reported that Ukraine and the US have discussed signing a peace agreement with Russia as early as March.
Ukrainian officials have denied the FT report, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly confirmed that the US aims to end the war by June.
In addition, Ukraine's president said that a referendum on a peace deal could be held in the coming months, and that elections could take place if Washington ensures a two-month ceasefire.
In 2026, Ukraine, the US, and Russia held three rounds of trilateral talks. The first two took place in Abu Dhabi in January and February, with the third scheduled for February 17–18 in Geneva.
President Zelenskyy announced that discussions will focus on how a monitoring mission would operate in the event of a ceasefire, and that Kyiv will raise the question of an energy truce.
