'That's a lie' — Rubio dismisses Zelensky's claims US security guarantees tied to withdrawal from Donbas
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on March 27 that President Volodymyr Zelensky's claims about Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas region in exchange for security guarantees are untrue.
"That's a lie. And I saw him say that, and it's unfortunate he would say that, because he knows that's not true and that's not what he was told," Rubio told reporters.
"What he was told is the obvious: Security guarantees are not going to kick in until there's an end to the war, because otherwise you're in — you're getting yourself involved in the war."
In an interview with Reuters published on March 25, Zelensky said that Washington's proposed security guarantees to Ukraine would be contingent on Kyiv withdrawing troops from parts of Donbas still under Ukrainian control.
"The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas," Zelensky said in the interview.
U.S. President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on Ukraine as the White House seeks to quickly end Russia's war against Ukraine while focusing on the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Zelensky added.
"Okay, what is a security guarantee? It's troops that are willing to step in and secure. If you put that in place now, that means you're injecting yourself in the war," Rubio said outside Air Force One.
"What he was told very clearly — and he should have understood it — is that the security guarantees come only after there is an end to the war. But that was not attached to unless he gives up territory. I don't know why he says these things; they're just not true."
When asked by a reporter what the U.S. position on Donbas is, Rubio said that the White House is not "advocating" for Russia.
"We told the Ukrainian side what the Russians are insisting on. We're not advocating for it; we've explained it to them. It's their choice to make. It's not for us to make for them. We've never told them they have to take it or leave it."
"The role we have played is to try to figure out what both sides want and see if we can bridge the middle ground. The decision ultimately is up to Ukraine. If they don't want to make — if they don't want to make certain decisions or certain concessions, then the war keeps going. Same with the Russian side: If they don’t want to make certain concessions to the Ukrainian side, then the war keeps going," Rubio said.
As U.S.-brokered peace talks have stalled, Russia has issued maximalist demands in negotiations, including that Ukraine withdraw from parts of Donbas that it controls. Kyiv has maintained that a ceasefire should be along the current front-line positions.
