Rubio: Witkoff Takes Ukraine Security Ideas to St. Petersburg
Speaking to reporters in India, Rubio said Witkoff met Zelenskyy in Norway on Tuesday and is now headed to St. Petersburg, Russia, to brief the Russian side. “I believe he just left Norway, but he met with Zelenskyy, and so I think they floated some ideas. He wanted to go there first. He’s on his way to St. Petersburg. My understanding, he might even be underway as we speak, and I think he’ll share some ideas,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Kyiv’s top priority is a guarantee against future Russian aggression. “I think for Ukraine, the predominant desire is to ensure their long-term security and safety, so that they’re never re-invaded or re-attacked in the future,” he said.
He characterized the Witkoff–Zelenskyy meeting as “positive” and said the envoy will carry the ideas discussed to Moscow’s representatives to push negotiations forward. “My understanding from the information he provided to me and the readout I got from it, is that it was positive, nothing unexpected, nothing surprising, and he’ll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to St. Petersburg and share them with the Russian side, and let’s see if we can make some progress.”
Rubio also defended the Trump administration’s record on Kyiv, arguing that American aid has been decisive in keeping Ukraine alive as an independent country. “If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now,” he said. “Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist.”
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the EU is getting “tired of spending” money on Ukraine and pressed Zelenskyy to strike a deal ending the war with Russia.
Asked whether the peace process was back on track after the talks in Oslo, he said: “I think what’s happening is that Russia would like to get it done.”
“Russia is a big machine. They just keep grinding forward,” he said. “They have an unlimited supply of people.”
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