US, other countries to work on security guarantees for Ukraine: Rubio

WASHINGTON

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington is coordinating with European and non-European countries to build security guarantees for Ukraine.

“We will work with our European allies and non-European countries, by the way, to build such a security guarantee. We’re working on that right now. We’ll continue to work on that. And that will be something that will have to be in place after a peace deal so that Ukraine can feel safe moving forward, and we're coordinating that,” Rubio said during an interview with FOX News.

He added that while many countries are willing to provide guarantees, Ukraine itself considers a strong military the most important safeguard for its future.

“We are no longer giving Ukraine weapons. We are now selling them weapons, and European countries are paying for it through NATO. They are using NATO to buy the weapons and transfer them to Ukraine,” he added.

Rubio also said that any eventual peace deal between Ukraine and Russia will require “concessions” from both sides, including potentially on territory, while Washington and its allies are coordinating on long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.

“In any negotiation to bring about the end of a war, or any conflict for that matter, it’s going to require both sides to receive but also to give. In essence, one side is not going to get 100% here. Each side is going to have to make some concessions. And obviously, land or where you draw those lines – where the war stops – is going to be part of that conversation,” he added

Rubio’s remarks came after a White House meeting Monday between President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

During the talks, the leaders discussed plans for security guarantees that could provide Ukraine protection similar to NATO’s collective defense framework.

Rutte earlier noted that under the leadership of the UK and France, a group of 30 countries, including Japan and Australia, has been working on developing security guarantees for Ukraine.

Monday's meeting followed Trump’s recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and a previous contentious encounter with Zelenskyy in February.

European leaders used the gathering to push for a ceasefire and strong security assurances before any peace deal.