US Rubio: Ukraine's security is key to peace deal
Shafaq News – Washington / Kyiv
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that securing long-term guarantees for Ukraine is central to peace talks with Russia, calling the negotiations “the hardest agreement we have attempted” ahead of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House visit.
In remarks to Fox News, Rubio dismissed reports that President Donald Trump was backing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal for full control of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, told CNN that progress made during the Alaska summit with Putin shifted US strategy away from a temporary ceasefire toward a broader peace deal, pointing out that Russia had shown “more accommodation than in the past” and even signaled readiness to accept Western security guarantees for Ukraine modeled on NATO’s Article 5.
Witkoff said Zelenskyy’s White House visit on August 18 would be critical in determining whether Kyiv can accept compromises on land swaps in exchange for binding guarantees.
