US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed willingness to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after more than three years of war.
“Putin is saying, sure, I’ll meet with Zelenskyy – that’s a big deal. I mean, I’m not saying they’re going to leave that room best friends. I’m not saying they’re going to leave that room with a peace deal. But I think the fact that people are now talking to each other, this wasn’t happening for three and a half years. This was a stalemated war of death and destruction,” Rubio told Fox News.
Trump’s Push for Direct Talks
Rubio confirmed he was present when US President Donald Trump personally raised the idea with Putin. “The President suggested that Zelenskyy and Putin meet, so we’re working on that now to set it up,” Rubio said. “If that goes well, hopefully the next step will be a meeting between Presidents Putin, Trump, and Zelenskyy, where we hope to finalise a deal.”
Rubio also described Trump as a “President who hates war” and highlighted his record of brokering agreements. “This President hates war and he – he hates it. He thinks it’s a waste of money and a waste of lives, and he has made it a priority – President Trump has – to bring about peace. If he sees an opportunity to step in and broker a peace, he wants to do it. He’s been successful already six times in six months in achieving that, and he wants to achieve it with Ukraine and Russia as well,” Rubio said.
Concessions and Trump’s Role
On the contentious issue of territory, Rubio noted that compromises will be unavoidable. “In any negotiation to end a war, one side is not going to get 100 percent. Each side is going to have to make concessions. Obviously, land – where you draw those lines – will be part of that conversation.”
He also emphasised Trump’s unique diplomatic position. “President Trump is the only leader in the world who can talk to both of them and bring them together. Europeans admit that. The fact he’s willing to do it should make every American proud we have a peace President who has made peace a priority.”
High-Stakes Meetings in Washington
On Monday, Trump hosted Zelenskyy along with French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House for high-stakes talks on ending the conflict, which has raged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump said discussions included security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a potential peace framework with Russia, stressing that Europe would take the lead in coordination with Washington. He added that Putin had signaled openness to Western-backed assurances for Kyiv, though continued to oppose Ukraine’s NATO membership.
Later in the day, Trump and Zelenskyy met one-on-one in the Oval Office, their first such encounter since a tense public fallout in February. Zelenskyy described it as their “best” meeting yet, pointing to renewed diplomatic momentum and a possible thaw in personal ties.