US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday promised not to force Ukraine into any agreement to end Russia’s invasion as European allies joined fresh talks in Miami.
The weekend talks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin in an annual news conference vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing battlefield gains nearly four years into his war.
US President Donald Trump’s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but Kyiv is likely to be expected to surrender some territory, a prospect resented by many Ukrainians.
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But Rubio said that ultimately both sides had to agree to a deal.
“There’s no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it,” Rubio told a news conference in Washington.
“This whole narrative that we’re trying to force something on Ukraine is silly,” Rubio said. “We can’t force Ukraine to make a deal. We can’t force Russia to make a deal. They have to want to make a deal.”