Rubio Denies Push for Pro-Russian Peace Plan for Ukraine
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cast doubt on the notion that the U.S. is currently seeking a pro-Russian peace agreement regarding Ukraine. This marks the first time a member of the Trump administration has openly moderated expectations about a potential deal that would reportedly involve significant concessions from Ukraine, including disbanding part of its military and relinquishing land to Russia.
In a somewhat vague post on X, Rubio noted, “Ending a war as complex and deadly as the Ukraine war demands a wide range of serious and pragmatic ideas. Achieving lasting peace will, I believe, require both parties to accept difficult but necessary compromises.” He mentioned that the U.S. will continue to gather ideas from both sides to move toward an end to the conflict.
This statement followed a report from Axios earlier in the week, which indicated that an agreement was in the works. The report cited Kirill Dmitriev, an associate of Putin, claiming he had collaborated with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on the plan.
On Wednesday, the Post outlined a 28-point framework, suggesting that Ukraine should reduce its military size significantly—by two and a half times. It also proposed that Ukraine hand over long-range missiles or any capable of striking major Russian cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg. This move was described as a crucial step toward halting Russian aggression, according to insiders familiar with the plan.
The Financial Times added that the proposed deal includes the entirety of the Donbass region, encompassing territory that Russia has failed to capture in over a decade of conflict.
A senior official from the White House was later cited as saying that the terms could possibly be agreed upon, with a timeline suggesting, “Maybe sometime this week.” However, experts have raised concerns that the deal’s demands are unrealistic and could effectively amount to Ukraine surrendering its sovereignty.
Alex Pritsas from the Atlantic Council expressed alarm, stating, “Abandoning the rest of Donbass would pave the way for Russian forces to invade Kiev, further increasing the risk, since it’s flat terrain, and the Ukrainian military would be outmatched without its weapons and international support.”
He underscored that if the plan, as it’s been described, goes through, it potentially jeopardizes $200 billion in U.S. military support and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. “Any peace plan has to safeguard U.S. taxpayer investments,” he asserted, deeming the proposal highly misleading.
Ukrainian officials have confirmed the plan has been put forward to Kiev, but Rubio’s recent remarks suggest that a comprehensive agreement may still be far from finalized.
As for the White House and State Department, they have not provided any comments regarding the situation.
