The newly confirmed US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has urged both Ukraine and Russia to make concessions to end the war in Ukraine, calling it a necessary step for achieving peace. Speaking to reporters on Monday, shortly after the Senate confirmed his appointment, Rubio underscored the complexity of resolving the nearly three-year conflict.
While Rubio refrained from specifying what concessions Ukraine might need to make, he emphasized that “peace requires compromise from both sides.” The Secretary of State characterized Russia as the aggressor in the conflict but maintained that a negotiated solution was critical.
“President Trump is committed to promoting peace and ending conflicts, though we understand this will not be an easy task,” Rubio said. He noted that while the US supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, the resolution must ultimately come from agreements made by both Kyiv and Moscow.
Rubio’s comments come as President Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, has prioritized ending the war in Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly signaled his intent to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future to push forward negotiations.
The conflict began on February 24, 2022, when Russian forces launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the operation as an effort to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine, a claim widely condemned by Western nations.
The invasion followed years of escalating tensions, including Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and its recognition of the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent. In 2022, Moscow further declared the annexation of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk – regions it does not fully control.
Ukraine, on the other hand, has remained steadfast in its goal of restoring territorial integrity and securing international guarantees of security. Kyiv has rejected Russia’s demands to recognize occupied territories as Russian and to abandon its aspirations for NATO membership.
