U.S. Senator Marco Rubio denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's claim that Washington demanded Kyiv cede the Donbas region to Russia in exchange for American security guarantees, calling the allegation untrue. Rubio said U.S. officials relayed Moscow's demands but did not advocate them and stressed guarantees would depend on an end to hostilities. He also noted no U.S. weapons have been formally diverted from shipments to Ukraine, though movements of Patriot systems from Europe to the Middle East have been reported.
Rubio Denies Zelenskyy's Claim That U.S. Pressed Ukraine To Cede Donbas For Security Guarantees
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press following a G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting with Partner Countries at the Bourget airport in Le Bourget, outside Paris, Friday, March 27, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
PARIS — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio on Friday forcefully rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent assertion that the U.S. conditioned American security guarantees on Kyiv surrendering control of the eastern Donbas region to Russia as part of any ceasefire arrangement.
Speaking to reporters after a Group of Seven meeting in France, Rubio disputed Zelenskyy's account and said Washington never made such a demand in discussions with Ukrainian officials.
“That’s a lie. I saw him say that. It’s unfortunate he would say that because he knows that’s not true and that’s not what he was told,” Rubio said.
In an interview published this week with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he believed the U.S. was tying its offer of high-level security guarantees to a Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas, the industrial region long sought by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian forces control much of the region, though they have not taken a heavily fortified strip along parts of the front line.
“The Americans are prepared to finalize these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” Zelenskyy told Reuters.
Rubio denied that Washington had advocated such terms and said U.S. officials had only relayed Moscow’s demands to Ukrainian counterparts. He emphasized that any American security guarantees would depend on an end to active fighting and that the United States would continue pressing for a negotiated peace.
“We’ve told the Ukrainian side what the Russians are insisting on,” Rubio said. “We’re not advocating for it. We’ve explained it to them. It’s their choice to make. We’ve never told them they have to take it or leave it. Our role is to try to figure out what both sides want and see if we can bridge the middle ground.”
The Ukrainian presidential office declined to comment on the discrepancy between the two accounts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacts during a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, March 17, 2026.(Suzanne Plunkett, Pool Photo via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Analysts warn that full Russian control of Donbas would give Moscow a lasting strategic foothold from which to threaten other parts of Ukraine.
Rubio said U.S. discussions with Ukrainian officials took place last week in Florida and that no further meetings are scheduled at present. He also acknowledged that while no U.S. weapons bound for Ukraine have yet been formally reallocated to the Middle East, such movements could occur if American defense needs demand it.
“If we need something for America and it’s American, we’re going to keep it for America first,” Rubio said. “But as of now, that has not happened.”
The Associated Press has reported movements of American Patriot air-defense missiles from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington adjusts resources amid the wider regional tensions tied to the war with Iran. Zelenskyy has warned Kyiv may “definitely” face shortages of Patriot systems because of those developments.
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Klepper reported from Washington.
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