Wednesday, 27 August, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had yielded enough progress to warrant a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian and European leaders.
Rubio cautioned, however, that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions to bring an end to the war, and acknowledged that the United States may not be able to guarantee a lasting peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be joined by European leaders for talks with Trump in Washington on Monday. The meeting aims to reinforce Trump’s push for a rapid peace agreement following his Friday discussions with Putin.
“I'm not saying we’re on the verge of a peace deal, but we did see enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelensky and the Europeans,” Rubio told CBS’s Face the Nation.
His remarks are among the first from senior US officials who were present during the Trump-Putin discussions.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" he gave no details
Speaking separately to Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" program, Rubio said the talks had narrowed down the key issues. These included drawing borders, long-term security guarantees for Kyiv, and which military alliances Ukraine could have, he said, adding "there's a lot of work that remains."
Putin has ruled out Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. Article 5 of the alliance's charter is a mutual defence pact obliging allies to defend a member from attacks.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, told CNN that the US side had won "the concession that the United States could offer Article Five-like protection."
Pressed for details, he said, "the United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article Five security guarantees, but not from NATO, directly from the United States, and other European countries." This would be one of the topics for discussion on Monday, he said.
According to sources, Trump and Putin discussed proposals for Russia to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere.
"We may not like it, it may not be pleasant, it may be distasteful, but in order for there to be an end of the war, there are things Russia wants that it cannot get, and there are things Ukraine wants that it's not going to get," said Rubio.
In a separate interview with ABC, Rubio said if a deal could not be reached to end the war, existing US sanctions on Russia would continue, and more could be added.
When Zelensky visited the White House in February, the meeting ended in a shouting match. Rubio, speaking to CBS, dismissed the idea that the European leaders were coming to Washington to protect Zelensky.
"They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelensky from being bullied. They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans," he said.
"We invited them to come."
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had yielded enough progress to warrant a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian and European leaders.
Rubio cautioned, however, that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions to bring an end to the war, and acknowledged that the United States may not be able to guarantee a lasting peace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be joined by European leaders for talks with Trump in Washington on Monday. The meeting aims to reinforce Trump’s push for a rapid peace agreement following his Friday discussions with Putin.
“I'm not saying we’re on the verge of a peace deal, but we did see enough movement to justify a follow-up meeting with Zelensky and the Europeans,” Rubio told CBS’s Face the Nation.
His remarks are among the first from senior US officials who were present during the Trump-Putin discussions.
In a social media post, Trump wrote, "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" he gave no details
Speaking separately to Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" program, Rubio said the talks had narrowed down the key issues. These included drawing borders, long-term security guarantees for Kyiv, and which military alliances Ukraine could have, he said, adding "there's a lot of work that remains."
Putin has ruled out Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. Article 5 of the alliance's charter is a mutual defence pact obliging allies to defend a member from attacks.
Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, told CNN that the US side had won "the concession that the United States could offer Article Five-like protection."
Pressed for details, he said, "the United States is potentially prepared to be able to give Article Five security guarantees, but not from NATO, directly from the United States, and other European countries." This would be one of the topics for discussion on Monday, he said.
According to sources, Trump and Putin discussed proposals for Russia to relinquish tiny pockets of occupied Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine ceding a swathe of fortified land in the east and freezing the front lines elsewhere.
"We may not like it, it may not be pleasant, it may be distasteful, but in order for there to be an end of the war, there are things Russia wants that it cannot get, and there are things Ukraine wants that it's not going to get," said Rubio.
In a separate interview with ABC, Rubio said if a deal could not be reached to end the war, existing US sanctions on Russia would continue, and more could be added.
When Zelensky visited the White House in February, the meeting ended in a shouting match. Rubio, speaking to CBS, dismissed the idea that the European leaders were coming to Washington to protect Zelensky.
"They're not coming here tomorrow to keep Zelensky from being bullied. They're coming here tomorrow because we've been working with the Europeans," he said.
"We invited them to come."
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