Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to remarks made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding security guarantees for Ukraine. During a video conference with journalists, Zelensky stated that while much of the situation remains obscured, he has revealed a portion of it. He emphasized that signals throughout the negotiation process indicate that Ukraine may receive security guarantees from the U.S. only after its troops withdraw from the Donbas region.
Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s intention to finalize a security agreement with the United States before the conclusion of the ongoing conflict. He noted that the critical issue is not when these guarantees would take effect, but rather the conditions under which they would be granted. According to him, these guarantees are contingent upon Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbas, a condition he described as pivotal for ending the war.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Zelensky asserted that the U.S. has conditioned its security guarantees on Ukraine’s military withdrawal from the Donbas. This statement was met with approval from Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of the Russian president, who expressed satisfaction that Zelensky has come to understand this requirement.
Marco Rubio, however, labeled Zelensky’s claims as false, asserting that the U.S. has not imposed such a condition. He expressed disappointment over Zelensky’s comments, stating, “It is a lie, and I have seen how he said it, and it is regrettable that he said it, because he knows it is not true, and he was not told that.” Rubio clarified that security guarantees would only come into effect after a peace agreement is reached, to avoid further entanglement in the conflict.
In January, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s position on territorial integrity, insisting that any compromises must be mutual. He mentioned that bilateral security guarantees from the U.S. are fully prepared, and Ukraine is awaiting their formalization. The president has consistently maintained that he will not cede Ukrainian-controlled territories to Russia.
In December, he stated that any decisions regarding territorial issues should be made by the Ukrainian populace through elections or referendums. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov responded to this by asserting that “the entire Donbas is Russian.”
Throughout January and February, several trilateral meetings involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia took place in an effort to conclude the war, although no significant outcomes have been reported. However, a meeting on February 5 resulted in an agreement for a prisoner exchange, the first in five months.
A subsequent meeting scheduled for early March in Abu Dhabi has been postponed indefinitely due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Despite U.S. mediation efforts to end the conflict, Russia has shown no inclination to soften its demands, which include Ukraine’s renunciation of claims to the Donbas. Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War have noted that Russian officials signal an unwillingness to settle for mere territorial concessions, indicating that Russia’s objectives in the conflict remain maximalist.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to press for robust security guarantees from the U.S. and European allies to safeguard against potential future aggression from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that security guarantees from the U.S. are contingent on Ukraine's withdrawal from the Donbas region. This assertion has sparked a rebuttal from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claims that such conditions were not imposed. The ongoing conflict continues to complicate negotiations between the involved parties.