Rubio denies Zelenskyy's claim that the US asked Ukraine to cede land
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s claim that the Trump administration is demanding Ukraine cede the Donbas region to Russia in exchange for American security guarantees.
- Zelenskyy had told Reuters that the U.S. was conditioning security guarantees on Ukraine withdrawing from Donbas, citing a shift in U.S. focus due to conflict with Iran.
- Rubio stated the U.S. only communicated Russia’s demands to Ukraine and emphasized that security guarantees would come only after fighting ends, with no U.S. ultimatum given to Kyiv.
- The U.S. continues to push for a peace deal and has not yet redirected weapons sales from Ukraine to the Middle East, although such a move could happen if deemed necessary.
- The Ukrainian presidential office declined to comment on the conflicting statements, while analysts warn that ceding Donbas would give Russia a strategic foothold to threaten other parts of Ukraine.
