Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The United States has made it clear that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved through military means. In a crucial prelude to high-stakes discussions in Saudi Arabia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted that both Russia and Ukraine must work toward finding a political resolution to the war, acknowledging that neither side could achieve a complete victory.
Ahead of the meetings in Jeddah on Tuesday, Rubio expressed that the war may persist with no clear end in sight unless both parties are willing to make hard compromises. “The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things, like the Russians are going to have to do difficult things, to end this conflict or at least pause it in some way, shape, or form,” Rubio told reporters.
This diplomatic engagement in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, comes at a time when US support for Ukraine has waned, with the relationship between Washington and Kyiv deteriorating after a series of events, including a confrontation between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former US President Donald Trump. This meeting marks the first official interaction between the US and Ukraine since that rift, where crucial military assistance and intelligence sharing were cut off.
Ukraine’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will lead the Ukrainian delegation at the talks, with a clear message: Ukraine is committed to a “constructive” role in the discussions. President Zelenskyy emphasized his country’s readiness to engage in these talks with a focus on peace while recognizing the harsh realities of the war.
The US has pushed for both sides to recognize that a military victory is unattainable. “The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously, it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014,” Rubio explained.
The Saudi-hosted summit is intended to act as a neutral ground for these high-stakes discussions, where the US, Russia, and Ukraine aim to explore pathways toward a ceasefire or some form of resolution. The situation remains dire, with significant geopolitical implications, but the talks represent an important step in efforts to mitigate the ongoing violence.
