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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed there had been "conversations" with Ukraine about territorial concessions during their meeting in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio also spoke about the need for a "deterrence" against future Russian aggression to ensure a durable peace in Ukraine.
He was speaking to reporters in Ireland while travelling back to the U.S. from Saudia Arabia. Rubio was asked if he had spoken about territorial concessions during his talks with Ukraine. "Yeah, we had conversations," Rubio said, without elaborating further.
"When you sit down with a partner like Ukraine, we're not going to negotiate this publicly," he said, adding that the "bulk of our conversation" was on what a negotiation process would look like.
He said Ukraine made clear their priorities go beyond ending the war, such as securing the return of prisoners of war and Ukrainian children taken into Russia, among other humanitarian issues. "We had a broad conversation...but I think the bulk of our conversation was what a negotiation process would look like," Rubio said.
On the subject of securing a lasting peace for Ukraine, Rubio said everyone wants to ensure this conflict does not start up again.
"What is the point of spending all this time to get a ceasefire hopefully and then a negotiated end to the war only to see it respark up again in about six years, four years three years?" Rubio said. "We're not interested in that. They certainly aren't either."
He continued: "I think the question is really more about a deterrence.
"Can Ukraine create a sufficient deterrent against future aggression, against future attack, against future invasion? Because every country in the world has a right to defend themselves and no-one can dispute that.
"So that will most certainly have to be part of the conversation. But again, there isn't a peace to secure until you have a peace. But there's no way to have an enduring peace without the deterrence piece being a part of it."
This is a developing story and more information will be added soon.
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 8:13 AM.