Rubio says war in Ukraine is only 'about Donbas'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (photo: Getty Images)
Resolving the Donbas issue is the only way to end Russia's war against Ukraine, and both sides must make concessions, according to a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as cited by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alex Raufoglu.
Donbas is key to this war
Secretary Rubio outlined a realistic path toward ending Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"It's a very difficult conflict, and I know the President (US President Donald Trump — ed.) has dedicated a tremendous amount oftime to it. We have people that do nothing all day but work on trying to find a way to make a difference and bridge those differences," he said.
The secretary of state noted that he had his own view of what the war in Ukraine is about.
"I would just say to you that that war—people keep talking about it's a war in Ukraine. That war is about Donbas. It's about one region of the country," he said.
The diplomat added that Donbas accounts for approximately 11% of one part of Ukraine that Russia wants to seize but has been unable to capture militarily.
"Ukraine is unwilling to give up it [Donbas – ed.]. And they have good reasons why they don't want to do that—for sovereignty and their own security long term," he explained.
A deal is needed
Rubio questioned whether a compromise is possible or whether Russia and Ukraine will have to make certain concessions to end the war.
"This war is not going to be resolved militarily. This war is only going to end diplomatically. And the question is: Can you arrive at an outcome in which both sides receive something of benefit but also give concessions and bring this to an end?" the US secretary of state said.
According to Rubio, this is impossible unless both sides are at the negotiating table. The United States is therefore "happy to play the mediating role." However, simply bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table will not resolve the problem.
"But we have no chance to solve it if we can't get them [engage Ukraine and Russia – ed.] in the room [in negotiations – ed.]," Rubio stressed.
What Putin wants
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded, as a condition for starting peace talks with Ukraine, that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
He also expects Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO.
The ultimatum stems from Russia's inability to seize these regions by force.
As previously reported, Rubio rejected accusations that Ukrainians were dying because the United States had refused to share intelligence. He also denied deliberately restricting military aid.
In addition, Rubio said US President Donald Trump signed an order suspending sanctions on Russia under the Graham Act for 60 days to assess their potential economic impact.
