‘Both will have to make concessions’: Marco Rubio on Ukraine-Russia peace deal

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that both Ukraine and Russia will have to make concessions to get to a peace deal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both Ukraine and Russia will have to make concessions to reach a peace deal to end the war.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of joint press conference by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. (REUTERS File)

Rubio's statement comes amid reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin put a condition on ending Moscow's war with Ukraine, saying Kyiv should hand over the eastern region of Donbas to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier ruled out giving up any territory for peace.

Rubio said that the US would continue to do everything it could to help Ukraine and Russia reach an agreement, but also added that it may not be possible for Washington to create a scenario to end the war that has been raging for more than three years.

"If peace is not going to be possible here, and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands. We may unfortunately wind up there, but we don't want to wind up there," Rubio said in an interview with the "Face the Nation" show.

Marco Rubio also warned of ‘additional consequences’ for Russia if a peace deal is not reached.

Donald Trump hails 'big progress' on Russia

"BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.

Trump's comments come ahead of a sit-down at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday. A long list of leaders from across Europe has confirmed their attendance at the talks between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington, DC, on Monday.

Confirmed attendees include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.