‘There don’t seem to be prospects of a negotiated settlement,’ Rubio says of Russia–Ukraine war
There is currently no prospect of a peaceful settlement to the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini.
Rubio said the war is now in a state of “strategic stalemate”: Russia continues to demand full control over Donbas, a condition Ukraine considers completely unacceptable.
Strategic stalemates are only broken in one of two ways: a) through a negotiated settlement, or b) through escalation by one side or both that ends up spreading beyond the confines of the original conflict. Right now, there don’t seem to be prospects of a negotiated settlement.
Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, took place in early 2026. The talks were interrupted by the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and have not resumed since. Both Ukraine and Russia officially say they are ready for new rounds of talks.
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