Rubio assures Zelensky of US commitment/Warns of "difficult" concessions

2026-02-15 11:54:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Rubio assures Zelensky of US commitment/Warns of "difficult"

On his second day at the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to allay concerns and set the focus: Ukraine and security, he signaled, remain the center of gravity of Washington's transatlantic policy.

Although he avoided direct mention of Ukraine during his speech at the conference, this proved to be short-lived. As soon as the question session began, the war, but also the role of the United States in mediating its end, came to the fore.

This focus was highlighted in an interview with Bloomberg TV, immediately after his speech, where Marco Rubio gave his clearest assessment yet of how the conflict might move toward an end.

He stated that he does not expect the war to end with what many would consider a "traditional defeat" for one side, arguing that Russia is unlikely to achieve its initial war objectives.

Instead, he suggested, Moscow's ambitions have narrowed to consolidating the roughly 20 percent of the Donetsk region it does not yet control, a goal that, he said, would require "difficult" concessions from Kiev, both tactically and politically.

Finding a formula acceptable to Ukraine and Russia, he said, remains the main challenge. "It may not work," warned top diplomat Rubio, although he stressed that the United States will continue to exert pressure to reach an agreement.

He noted signs of progress in recent weeks and stressed that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will resume talks in the coming days.

From that moment on, the day continued with high-level meetings.

Rubio first met with his G7 counterparts, including the Ukrainian foreign minister. The discussion was wide-ranging, from the conflicts destabilizing Africa and the Middle East to growing security pressures in the Indo-Pacific and the Western Hemisphere.

Ukraine, however, remained an unavoidable topic. Rubio “reiterated the U.S. commitment to promoting stability in Venezuela and to ending the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiation,” said U.S. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, as the ministers pledged closer G7 coordination against a range of global threats.

On the sidelines of the conference, Rubio met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes. In a statement posted on Telegram, Zelensky said he briefed Rubio on “the situation on the front lines, the ongoing Russian attacks, and the consequences of the attacks on the energy system.”

The two also discussed in detail the diplomatic path, including trilateral talks scheduled for next week in Geneva.

"It is important that the planned negotiations in Geneva are productive, and I thank the United States for its constructive approach ," Zelensky said.

Zelensky also spoke with Trump's envoys Witkoff and Kushner ahead of the new round of talks. They discussed developments since the previous round in Abu Dhabi. He also briefed them on his conversation with Rubio and expressed gratitude for America's continued support. /REL