Ukraine ceasefire still on table as Trump seeks deal, says Rubio

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US hasn’t ruled out a ceasefire in Ukraine as part of the goal of brokering a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, while arguing that additional sanctions would be unlikely to force President Vladimir Putin to accept a deal.  

While Donald Trump had gone into Friday’s summit with Putin seeking a ceasefire, he’d emerged saying he was going to focus on a final settlement. Rubio told NBC’s Meet the Press that the US remains committed to crafting a deal that includes both “what the border lines are going to look like” and Russia accepting that Ukraine “is a sovereign country.” 

Rubio sought to outline a path forward after the summit in Alaska without indicating what leverage the US intends to use on either side in the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump told Fox News after the summit that he’d encourage Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to make a deal with Russia. 

A full peace agreement is “the best way to end the war now, whether there needs to be a cease fire on the way there,” Rubio said. “Well, we’ve advocated for that. Unfortunately, the Russians as of now, have not agreed to that.” 

European leaders will be joining Zelenskiy at follow-up talks Trump on Monday in Washington, in a show of support as Ukraine’s leader faces growing US pressure to agree to a quick peace deal with Russia that involves giving up territory.   

Rubio said no US sanctions on Russia have been relaxed and the US may eventually end up imposing tougher penalties if talks stall. 

“And so those options remain to the president,” he said. “The minute he takes those steps, all talks stop.” 

Engaging with Russia is necessary to end the war, “as distasteful people may find it,” Rubio said. 

Asked whether a ceasefire is off the table, Rubio said, “No, it’s not off the table.” At the same time, he added, “Let’s be frank, this is not our war.”