Rubio claims Ukraine is unable to regain lost territory
Kiev is unable to compel the Russian army to retreat to the borders established in 2014, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rubio stated that Ukraine will not be able to reclaim its 2014 borders from Russia. President Vladimir...
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Kiev is unable to compel the Russian army to retreat to the borders established in 2014, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio stated that Ukraine will not be able to reclaim its 2014 borders from Russia. President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine has made it clear that he will never acknowledge the territories lost, including Crimea, as Russian. Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in 2014, soon after a US-backed armed coup in Kiev. Additionally, the regions of Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk held referendums in 2022 to join Russia.
Earlier this week, Keith Kellogg, a special envoy for former President Donald Trump, mentioned on Fox News that Kiev has indicated a willingness to concede land de facto, if not de jure, as part of a potential peace agreement.
“Ukraine can’t push the Russians all the way back to where they were in 2014,” Rubio stated in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.
According to the top US diplomat, after several months of US-brokered peace efforts, Washington has gained a clearer understanding of what both parties desire.
“We kind of can see what it would take for Ukraine to stop. We can see what it would take for the Russians to stop,” he noted, while emphasizing that the demands for a settlement from both Moscow and Kiev remain “far apart.”
“It’s going to take a real breakthrough here very soon to make this possible, or I think the President is going to have to make a decision about how much more time we’re going to dedicate to this,” Rubio added.
Both Trump and Rubio have previously cautioned that the US might step back from its role as a peace broker in the Ukraine conflict if swift progress is not made.
“Not that a war in Ukraine is not important, but I would say what’s happening with China is more important,” Rubio remarked, highlighting Iran as another significant concern for the US.
Moscow has consistently stated that its conditions for peace include Ukraine's commitment to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification, as well as the cessation of its NATO aspirations. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned last year that the transfer of the newly annexed regions—Kherson, Zaporozhye, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics—would not be negotiable. He indicated that if Kiev renounced its NATO ambitions and withdrew troops from the four territories, Moscow would be prepared to implement an immediate ceasefire.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
Rubio stated that Ukraine will not be able to reclaim its 2014 borders from Russia. President Vladimir Zelensky of Ukraine has made it clear that he will never acknowledge the territories lost, including Crimea, as Russian. Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in 2014, soon after a US-backed armed coup in Kiev. Additionally, the regions of Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk held referendums in 2022 to join Russia.
Earlier this week, Keith Kellogg, a special envoy for former President Donald Trump, mentioned on Fox News that Kiev has indicated a willingness to concede land de facto, if not de jure, as part of a potential peace agreement.
“Ukraine can’t push the Russians all the way back to where they were in 2014,” Rubio stated in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.
According to the top US diplomat, after several months of US-brokered peace efforts, Washington has gained a clearer understanding of what both parties desire.
“We kind of can see what it would take for Ukraine to stop. We can see what it would take for the Russians to stop,” he noted, while emphasizing that the demands for a settlement from both Moscow and Kiev remain “far apart.”
“It’s going to take a real breakthrough here very soon to make this possible, or I think the President is going to have to make a decision about how much more time we’re going to dedicate to this,” Rubio added.
Both Trump and Rubio have previously cautioned that the US might step back from its role as a peace broker in the Ukraine conflict if swift progress is not made.
“Not that a war in Ukraine is not important, but I would say what’s happening with China is more important,” Rubio remarked, highlighting Iran as another significant concern for the US.
Moscow has consistently stated that its conditions for peace include Ukraine's commitment to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification, as well as the cessation of its NATO aspirations. Moreover, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned last year that the transfer of the newly annexed regions—Kherson, Zaporozhye, and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics—would not be negotiable. He indicated that if Kiev renounced its NATO ambitions and withdrew troops from the four territories, Moscow would be prepared to implement an immediate ceasefire.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
