"The US doesn't have the right to accept or reject anything, because ultimately the decision belongs to Ukraine. They and Russia have to reconcile with each other," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS News on 17/8, adding that Washington only plays a mediating role to bring the parties closer together.
Rubio praised the progress made during the summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on 15/8, but emphasized that both Russia and Ukraine need to make concessions if they want to end the conflict through diplomacy.
"For the war to end, Russia has to accept that they won't get some of the things they want, and so does Ukraine," Rubio said, asserting that there can be no peace agreement if both sides don't accept this.
 |
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 14/8. Photo: AFP |
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on 14/8. Photo: AFP
After the Alaska summit, Trump suggested the parties should aim for a comprehensive peace agreement to end the conflict, rather than pursuing a ceasefire. He also indicated the Ukraine conflict would end with territorial concessions and security guarantees from the US.
President Zelensky, along with several top European leaders, will travel to Washington to meet with Trump on 18/8. Rubio dismissed suggestions that the European leaders are coming to the US out of concern that Trump will force Ukraine to sign a disadvantageous peace deal.
"That's completely untrue. They aren't coming here to stop Zelensky from being bullied. They are coming because we've been working with European countries as well," Rubio said, confirming that the US invited the European leaders to Washington.
He doesn't think Russia and Ukraine are close to a peace agreement, but believes there's enough progress to hold the meeting with Zelensky and the European leaders. "Our goal is to achieve a peace agreement to end the conflict. The US sees enough progress, though not too much, to move to the next stage," he said.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, said on 17/8 that Russia has agreed to let the US guarantee Ukraine's security under a mechanism similar to NATO's collective defense agreement.
A diplomatic source said that NATO-like security guarantees have been discussed, but emphasized that "no one knows how this proposal will be implemented and why Putin would agree while vehemently opposing Ukraine joining NATO".
Thuy Lam (Theo Hill)
