Rubio: US will not force Ukraine to give up occupied territories

Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio claims that his country will not put pressure on Ukraine to agree to the demands of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, in particular, regarding the abandonment of territories. The politician made this statement in an interview with of the NBC News channel.

The journalist asked Rubio about the information that Putin wants to keep all the occupied territories as part of a peace agreement.

"Well, I can confirm that he [Putin] has made speeches in which he has repeatedly said this, that he has asked for territories... Look, at the end of the day, if the Ukrainians are not ready to give it up, and no one is pressuring Ukraine to give it up, I don't think that if a peace agreement is made, it will look like this (with Kyiv giving up territories – Ed.)," Rubio replied.

According to him, the Russian dictator is asking for "things that Ukrainians and others are not ready to support," and Washington will not force them to give in.

The secretary of state added that Kyiv is asking Moscow for things that the Russians are not going to give up.

"I know that everyone wants more details. But we are trying to hold serious talks and see if we can find some kind of compromise between the two sides fighting in a very difficult war where the Russians, as always, feel that the initiative is on their side. And the Ukrainians were incredibly brave in repelling the attacks and in the defensive position they took. The Ukrainians have inflicted enormous losses on the Russians," Rubio said, noting that in July alone, Russian losses reached 20,000 soldiers killed.

The American official also noted that "everyone goes into negotiations wanting to get 100% of what they want."

"This applies to Ukraine and, of course, Russia. The only way to reach an agreement in any area – whether it is in business, politics, or geopolitics – is when each side gets something and each side gives something," the secretary of state said, noting that the negotiations were "very difficult."

• In another interview, Rubio said that the parties are currently still far from concluding a peace agreement in Russia's war against Ukraine.
• On the outcome of the Alaska talks and preparations for the meeting of the leaders of Ukraine and Europe with the US President on August 18 read in the chronicle by LIGA.net.