Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States remains the only nation capable of mediating a negotiated end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, despite the conflict’s complexity and the absence of an imminent breakthrough.
Addressing reporters at the State Department, Rubio stressed that while the war is not an American conflict, U.S. engagement is indispensable due to Washington’s unique ability to communicate with both sides.
“That there’s only one nation on Earth, there’s only one entity on Earth, that can actually talk to both sides and figure out whether there’s a way to end this war peacefully, and that’s the United States,” Rubio said.
Rubio pushed back against claims that the administration is attempting to impose terms on Kyiv, emphasizing that any settlement must be accepted by both Ukraine and Russia.
“This whole narrative that we’re trying to force something on Ukraine is silly,” Rubio said. “We can’t — there’s no peace deal that Ukraine — there is no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it.
“But there’s also no peace deal unless Russia agrees to it.
“We are just trying to find whether there’s common ground that we can make happen.
“And maybe that’s not possible. Maybe it is. Maybe that’s not possible right now.
“But we don’t think — our work could potentially serve as a baseline for that in the future. Maybe it is possible now. We’re going to continue to test it and see where we can get to.”
The secretary described the war as fundamentally stalled, with neither side capable of achieving total victory. As a result, he said, a negotiated settlement remains the only realistic path to ending the bloodshed.
“Wars end generally in one of two ways: surrender by one side for another, or a negotiated settlement,” Rubio added. “We don’t see surrender anytime in the near future by either side, and so only a negotiated settlement gives us the opportunity to end this war.
“A negotiated settlement requires two things: both sides to get something out of it, and both sides to give something.
“And we’re trying to figure out what can Russia give, and what do they expect to get; what can Ukraine give and what can Ukraine expect to get.
“In the end, the decision will be up to Ukraine and up to Russia. It will not be up to the United States.”
Rubio credited President Donald Trump with personally investing significant time in the issue, noting that the president has engaged more frequently on Ukraine than on any other foreign policy matter.
The secretary also made clear that U.S. involvement is driven by humanitarian and strategic concerns, including the escalating human cost and the long-term devastation to Ukraine’s infrastructure.
“This is a bloody, nasty conflict,” Rubio concluded. “In the same time, the entire electric grid, the entire infrastructure of Ukraine, is being destroyed almost as fast as it’s being rebuilt.
“Every week that goes by, the cost of rebuilding that country gets exponentially higher. It is now becoming generational reconstruction.
“This is a very damaging war that’s going to have incredible implications. There are now hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, probably maybe in millions, who have not lived in Ukraine in years. They’ve been displaced to other countries.
“The implications of this long term for Ukraine are dramatic — and for Russia, too, but for Ukraine, and we’re focused on them.
“This is why the President wants to end it. He thinks it’s a bloody, nasty, just horrifying war, and he doesn’t like wars.
“He really doesn’t like wars. He thinks they’re a waste of money, time, and talent.
“And he wants this one to end, and we’re doing everything we can to end it. And it may or may not be possible, but we’re certainly going to keep trying.”
