‘Not our war’ — Rubio states that the US might abandon efforts

During his confirmation hearing for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 15, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R-FL) indicated that the United States would discontinue its attempts to facilitate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia if no signs of a potential agreement emerge in the coming days.


Following discussions with European and Ukrainian officials in Paris, Rubio noted that while U.S. President Donald Trump is keen on achieving a peace deal, he also has other pressing priorities. Trump initially pledged to negotiate a ceasefire within 24 hours at the beginning of his presidency, later extending that timeline to 100 days. However, these negotiations have largely stalled due to Russia's continued rejection of a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire supported by both Washington and Kyiv, and a temporary truce aimed at energy facility strikes that failed to hold. "We're not going to prolong this process for weeks or months," Rubio declared. "We need to quickly assess—I'm talking about a matter of days—whether a deal is achievable in the coming weeks.

If it is, we're committed. If not, we have other priorities to address." The White House has increasingly expressed frustration with the slow-moving peace talks, with Trump blaming both Ukraine and Russia for the lack of a settlement. The president has repeatedly attributed the conflict to President Volodymyr Zelensky and former President Joe Biden, labeling Russia's invasion as "Biden's war."

In Paris, Rubio reinforced this viewpoint, stating, "It's crucial to remind everyone that while the Ukraine conflict is tragic, it's not our war. We didn't initiate it." In remarks to reporters, Rubio added that the U.S. has invested three years and billions of dollars in support of Ukraine, but has now reached a point where it must redirect its focus to other issues. Political scientist Alexandra Filippenko, an expert on U.S.-Russia relations, posits that Rubio's comments are aimed at both Russia and Trump.
"It appears to be a subtle and intricate maneuver for Rubio to communicate to Trump that there are other pressing matters at hand," she said. Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal suggest that Rubio and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg have urged Trump to adopt a firmer approach towards Moscow, contrasting with Trump's inclination towards a more conciliatory stance advocated by Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. During discussions in Jeddah with U.S. officials on March 11, Kyiv expressed support for an unconditional ceasefire while emphasizing that any comprehensive peace agreement must include security guarantees—a commitment Trump has hesitated to make.

Moscow has dismissed the ceasefire proposal unless it includes terms that would undermine Ukraine's defense, such as a complete halt to military aid, a prohibition on Ukraine joining NATO, and full control over the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia as conditions for peace. Ukraine has maintained it will never recognize the Russian occupation of its sovereign territory.