PARIS – On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio firmly denied claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the Trump administration has conditioned American security guarantees on Ukraine ceding the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of any ceasefire agreement.
Addressing the media after a Group of Seven summit in France, Rubio refuted Zelenskyy’s allegations, emphasizing that the U.S. has not imposed such a requirement in its discussions with Ukraine.
“That’s a lie,” Rubio stated emphatically. “I heard him say that. It’s unfortunate he would make such claims, knowing they are untrue and not part of what he was told.”
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy told Reuters that the U.S. propositioned security assurances for Ukraine, contingent on relinquishing control of Donbas, an industrial region coveted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Russian forces dominate most of the area, a heavily fortified strip remains under Ukrainian control.
Zelenskyy suggested that, with the U.S. preoccupied with its conflict against Iran, President Donald Trump is eager to resolve the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
“The Americans are ready to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine agrees to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelenskyy conveyed to Reuters.
Rubio denied Zelenskyy’s assertions and said the U.S. had only passed along Russia’s demands. He said security guarantees could only come after the fighting has ended and that the U.S. will keep pushing for a peace deal.
“We’ve told the Ukrainian side what the Russians are insisting on,” he said. “We’re not advocating for it. We’ve explained it to them. It’s their choice to make. It’s not for us to make for them. We’ve never told them they have to take it or leave it. The role we have played is to try to figure out what both sides want, and see if we can bridge the middle ground.”
The Ukrainian presidential office declined to comment on the discrepancy.
Putin wants Kyiv to cede control of the entire Donbas region, which analysts believe would give Moscow a permanent launchpad from which to threaten other parts of Ukraine.
Rubio noted that U.S. talks with the Ukrainians were held last week in Florida but no other meetings are scheduled as of now. He also said that while no U.S. weapons have been pulled from sales bound for Ukraine to go to the Middle East instead, it could happen if deemed necessary.
“If we need something for America and it’s American, we’re going to keep it for America first,” Rubio said. “But as of now, that has not happened.”
The Associated Press has reported that American Patriot air-defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington redirects resources to its war on Iran. Zelenskyy has warned that Kyiv will “definitely” face shortages of Patriot systems because of the war against Iran.
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Klepper reported from Washington.
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