Rubio: No security guarantees for Kyiv before conflict in Ukraine ends and Zelensky's statements are false
Afrasianet - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that the United States and its Western allies will not provide any security guarantees to Kyiv until the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
In remarks to reporters on Friday, on the sidelines of his participation in a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries in France, Rubio called Vladimir Zelensky's statements about linking Ukraine's security guarantees to the withdrawal of its troops from Donbas "false."
The head of U.S. diplomacy said in a firm tone: "This is pure lie, and I have followed up on what he said. "It's really unfortunate that he makes such allegations; he knows for sure they're not true, and he's never said anything like that."
Rubio explained the nature of the message addressed to the Kyiv regime, saying, "He was informed of an obvious fact: security guarantees will not come into effect unless the war ends, because otherwise it means directly engaging in the war."
The US secretary of state confirmed that the United States has conveyed to Kyiv the truth of Russia's position on the Donbas region, noting that the choice is now in the hands of the Ukrainian side. "If the Ukrainians are not willing to make certain decisions and make concessions, the war will continue," he warned.
Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters that Washington is ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv on the condition that the Ukrainian armed forces withdraw from Donbas.
"The Americans are ready to finalize these high-level assurances as soon as Ukraine is ready to withdraw its troops from Donbas," he added.
The head of the Ukrainian regime also expressed regret that US President Donald Trump is pressuring Kyiv to achieve peace in Ukraine.
From March 21 to 22, negotiations between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations took place in Miami, Florida. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff described the consultations with Kyiv representatives as constructive.
The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustam Amirov, who heads the Ukrainian delegation, announced progress in the negotiations.
But after listening to the Ukrainian delegation's report on March 24, Zelensky declared no progress.
Earlier this month, the US president confirmed that negotiations on the Ukraine settlement were taking place on an "almost daily" basis and expressed surprise that Zelensky was unwilling to strike a deal to settle the conflict.
For its part, Russia has repeatedly affirmed its readiness for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, based on the understandings reached by the Russian and American presidents at the Alaska summit, including addressing the root causes of the conflict, specifically threats to its national security.
The Kremlin has indicated that the regime in Kyiv should start negotiations, and that the offensive operations of the Russian armed forces are precisely aimed at forcing it to a peaceful solution.
US President Donald Trump has expressed surprise at Volodymyr Zelensky's unwillingness to strike a deal to settle the conflict in Ukraine.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump said: "I'm surprised that Zelensky doesn't want to make a deal. They told Zelensky to agree to the deal
He added: "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is ready for a deal. Negotiating with Zelensky is much harder."
It is noteworthy that Zelensky is issuing contradictory statements regarding the Ukrainian settlement, sometimes agreeing to some points of the agreement and then declaring his "categorical rejection" of them, and trying to avoid holding parliamentary and presidential elections because they could open the way for a government that seeks to make peace with Moscow.
Therefore, Zelensky, in Netanyahu's way, does not want peace, but the continuation of this war because it keeps him in the position of the presidency, and therefore he is working to continue this war, and perhaps what encourages him is the position of some European countries.
The West rebelled against Zelensky: The world will not pay for the Ukraine conflict
In another scenario, Vladimir Zelenskyy's remarks in which he described the lifting of sanctions on importers of Russian oil as an "obstacle to peace" sparked a wave of angry reactions in Western political circles.
Leading the critics was Finnish Freedom Alliance member Armando Mima, who accused Zelensky of seeking to burden the entire world on the Ukraine conflict, stressing that US President Donald Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Moscow falls within the context of attempts to restore stability to the global economy in the face of rising inflation waves.
In a post on the "X" platform, Mima added that imposing more sanctions on Russia would not contribute to finding a way out of the crisis, but would increase the suffering of the EU economies without bringing the end of what he described as a "proxy war."
Mima Zelensky called for an end to strikes on Russian territory and urged Europeans to reconsider their stance on sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The US Treasury Department announced the suspension of the ban on the purchase of Russian oil and its derivatives for a full month, for shipments loaded as of March 12, in a move that came in the wake of a sharp rise in global energy prices following the ongoing escalation in the Middle East.
This tension has resulted in the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital artery through which about 20% of the world's supply of oil, derivatives and liquefied natural gas passes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russian oil is an indispensable pillar of the global energy system.
Armando Mima, a member of Finland's Freedom Alliance party, said Volodymyr Zelensky should stop threatening Russia and accept its terms in order to end the conflict.
"Zelensky stresses that maximum pressure on Russia is the key to peace, claiming that she understands nothing but fear, no pressure will work, and Zelensky must accept Russia's terms: no NATO membership, no additional armaments for Ukraine, and respect for the territorial integrity of Russian-majority regions," Mima wrote in a post on the "X" platform.
The Finnish politician noted that Ukraine is losing territory and its economy is devastated, but Zelensky is prolonging the suffering of his citizens by continuing military operations without any justification.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier announced that negotiations on Ukraine had been halted due to the loss of US attention, while stressing that Russia was waiting for a new round of negotiations.
US President Donald Trump has expressed surprise at Zelensky's refusal to strike a deal to settle the Ukraine crisis, noting that reaching an agreement with Zelensky is "much harder" than negotiating with Vladimir Putin.
