U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with his European counterparts on diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the U.S. State Department announced late Monday.
Rubio spoke with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, according to a State Department spokesperson.
Minister Sybiha expressed Ukraine’s gratitude to Rubio for his efforts, as well as to U.S. President Donald Trump, for his leadership in advancing a peace agreement. He stressed that security guarantees for Ukraine are essential.
“I reiterated Ukraine’s position that security guarantees must be concrete, legally binding, and effective. They should be multidimensional, encompassing military, diplomatic, legal, and other measures,” Sybiha wrote on X.
He added: “We all share the belief that the Ukrainian armed forces are the cornerstone of any such guarantees; therefore, their maximum strengthening is our top priority.”
Following separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as consultations with European leaders, President Trump tasked Rubio with leading discussions on providing security guarantees for Ukraine.
