Rubio Sees Progress After Trump–Putin Talks, Urges Concessions for Ukraine Peace

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week in Anchorage yielded “enough movement” to justify a follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders in Washington on Monday. While stressing that a settlement is not imminent, Rubio argued that the session narrowed outstanding issues and created momentum toward ending the 3½-year-old war. Rubio reiterated that the administration is seeking a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a temporary cease-fire. “The only way to end this war is for each side to give something and get something,” he told multiple U.S. television programs, adding that neither Moscow nor Kyiv will achieve all of its objectives. He said border demarcation, long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and limits on future military alliances remain central to the negotiations. The secretary suggested Washington could offer Kyiv Article 5-like security guarantees outside NATO and warned that piling new sanctions on Russia now could stall diplomacy. Existing U.S. and European sanctions will stay in place, and tougher measures remain on the table if talks collapse, he noted. Rubio credited Trump with being the only leader capable of bringing Putin and Zelensky to the same table and cautioned that progress depends on concessions from both sides. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte are expected to accompany Zelensky to the White House on 18 Aug., aiming to sustain the tentative momentum generated in Alaska.