Rubio: Both Sides Must Concede to End Ukraine Conflict

Key Points from Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Remarks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that both Russia and Ukraine will need to make concessions to achieve a lasting peace in the ongoing conflict. Speaking on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Rubio highlighted the importance of reaching a comprehensive agreement that allows Ukraine to rebuild its country and ensure such a war never happens again.

Rubio stated, “We want to wind up with a peace deal that ends this war so Ukraine can go on with the rest of their lives and rebuild their country and be assured that this is never going to happen again.” He noted that achieving this would require both sides to give something in return.

Upcoming Meetings and Discussions

President Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House following his high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump described the nearly three-hour meeting as “extremely productive” with “many points” the two leaders agreed on. However, he stressed that “there's no deal until there's a deal,” and no ceasefire was announced during the talks.

Rubio, who attended the summit, provided limited details about the discussions, stating that “there are things that were discussed as part of this meeting that are potentials for breakthroughs.” He added that the details would be further discussed with Zelenskyy and other European leaders on Monday as the administration works to narrow the gap between the two sides.

Conditions for a Peace Agreement

Rubio outlined several areas where agreement needs to be reached, including security guarantees for Ukraine, the question of territories and where the lines are drawn, and the issue of rebuilding the country. He mentioned that these ideas require more specificity and that the U.S. will work with its partners to determine what the final agreement might look like.

Rubio also addressed the possibility of the U.S. demanding Russian withdrawal from Ukrainian territory as part of an agreement. He acknowledged that both sides would have to make concessions, saying, “If one side gets everything they want, that's called surrender. And that's not what we're close to doing, because neither side here is on the verge of surrender, or anything close to it.”

Context of Recent Tensions

Monday’s discussions come after a previous meeting between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance in February, which turned chaotic and exposed rifts between the U.S. and Ukraine. Rubio pushed back against claims that European leaders are joining Zelenskyy in Washington as backup to prevent him from accepting a bad deal.

“We've been working with these people for weeks, for weeks on this stuff,” Rubio said. “They're coming here tomorrow because they're supposed to come here tomorrow. We invited them to come. The president invited them to come.”

Progress and Next Steps

After the meeting with Putin, Rubio felt that “there was enough progress — not a lot of progress — but enough progress made in those talks to allow us to move to the next phase.” He emphasized that while a peace deal isn’t imminent, there has been movement worth following up on.

“I'm not saying we're on the verge of a peace deal, but I am saying that we saw movement,” Rubio added. “Enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelenskyy and the Europeans, enough movement for us to dedicate even more time to this.”

Perspectives from Other Officials

Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, appeared on "Face the Nation" after Rubio and criticized the meeting with Putin as a “historic embarrassment.” He argued that understanding what motivates Putin is crucial in ending the conflict.

Crow stated, “In any negotiation, when you're trying to end an armed conflict, there's nothing more important than understanding what motivates your adversary, what is making Vladimir Putin tick, in this instance.”

He suggested that Putin is primarily concerned with economic pressure through sanctions, political and diplomatic isolation, and military defeat. These factors, according to Crow, are what will ultimately lead to an end of the conflict.