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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war between Russia and Ukraine centers on the Donbas region, arguing that ending the conflict will require diplomatic negotiations and mutual concessions.
Speaking at a press conference on October 22, Rubio was asked about a possible path to ending the war, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stated readiness to hold trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
“This is a very complex conflict, and the president of the United States spends a lot of time on it,” Rubio said.
“People keep talking about this as the war in Ukraine. This war is about the Donbas. It’s about one region of the country. Essentially, it’s about 11% of one part of this country that Russia wants to take but cannot take militarily, and Ukraine does not want to give up,” he said.
Rubio acknowledged that Ukraine has compelling reasons to retain the territory, including concerns about sovereignty and long-term security.
The secretary of state said the conflict could not be resolved militarily and would require negotiations aimed at finding an outcome in which both sides could secure some gains while making compromises.
He acknowledged that reaching an agreement would be difficult but said there was no chance of resolving the conflict without bringing the parties together. Washington is prepared to act as a mediator, he added.
“We’re not saying that just getting them in a room together will solve this problem, but we have no chance of solving it if we can’t get them together,” Rubio said.
Trilateral talks under discussion
Following a meeting between Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Moscow was ready to resume trilateral negotiations involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine in early November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said talks could take place in the first half of November, stressing that a meeting would depend on Russia.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Russian state propagandist Pavel Zarubin after meeting Witkoff, Putin again claimed that Russians and Ukrainians were “one people,” citing unnamed genetic studies. He reiterated Moscow’s claims over occupied Ukrainian territories and said Russia would achieve all its stated objectives in what it calls its “special military operation.”
Putin also rejected the characterization of Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions as Ukrainian territory, claiming they historically belonged to Russia.
