Washington, August 18, 2025 – The Europe Today: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that both Russia and Ukraine will have to make concessions to reach a lasting peace agreement, signaling the challenges ahead in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
“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,” Rubio said during an appearance on Face the Nation. “But to get there, both sides will have to give.”
The comments came after President Donald Trump’s high-profile summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, which lasted nearly three hours. Trump described the talks as “extremely productive” with “many points” of agreement, but stressed that “there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” noting that no ceasefire was announced.
Rubio, who attended the Alaska summit, indicated that discussions produced “potentials for breakthroughs” but withheld specifics, saying that the details would be addressed in meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday.
“We have to make enough progress so that we can sit down President Zelenskyy and President Putin in the same place, which is what President Zelenskyy has been asking for, and reach a final agreement that ends this war,” Rubio said, adding that “some concepts and ideas discussed” with Putin could gain Ukrainian support.
When asked whether a peace settlement would require Russia’s withdrawal from Ukrainian territory, Rubio acknowledged that compromise would be unavoidable. “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,” he stated.
The secretary of state identified key unresolved issues, including security guarantees for Ukraine, territorial questions, and reconstruction efforts. He emphasized that these matters require “more specificity” and collaboration with international partners.
Monday’s discussions in Washington come amid heightened scrutiny of U.S.-Ukraine relations, following a contentious Oval Office meeting in February between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelenskyy. European leaders are expected to join the talks to help narrow the gap between Kyiv and Moscow.
Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, also appeared on Face the Nation and sharply criticized Trump’s Alaska meeting with Putin, calling it a “historic embarrassment.” He argued that only sustained economic pressure, diplomatic isolation, and military setbacks would compel Moscow to end the war.
