Rubio Says US Envoy Takes Ukraine Security Proposals to Russia
Speaking to journalists in India, Rubio explained that Witkoff met Zelenskyy in Norway on Tuesday before heading to St. Petersburg to present the ideas to Russian representatives.
"I believe he just left Norway, but he met with Zelenskyy, and so I think they floated some ideas. He wanted to go there first. He's on his way to St. Petersburg. My understanding, he might even be underway as we speak, and I think he'll share some ideas," Rubio said.
According to the US secretary of state, Kyiv's foremost objective is to obtain lasting security assurances that would protect the country from future Russian military action.
“I think for Ukraine, the predominant desire is to ensure their long-term security and safety, so that they’re never re-invaded or re-attacked in the future,” he said.
Rubio characterized the discussions between Witkoff and Zelenskyy as "positive," explaining that the US representative would now relay the proposals to Moscow in hopes of moving diplomatic efforts forward.
"My understanding from the information he provided to me and the readout I got from it, is that it was positive, nothing unexpected, nothing surprising, and he'll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St. Petersburg and share them with the Russian side, and let's see if we can make some progress."
Rubio also emphasized Washington's contribution to Ukraine's continued existence as an independent country, defending the Trump administration's support for Kyiv.
“If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now,” he said. “Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the European Union was becoming “tired of spending” money on Ukraine and called on Zelenskyy to reach an agreement to bring the conflict with Russia to an end.
When questioned about whether diplomatic efforts had regained momentum following the Norway meeting, Rubio said: “I think what’s happening is that Russia would like to get it done.”
“Russia is a big machine. They just keep grinding forward,” he said. “They have an unlimited supply of people.”
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