Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington on December 19, 2025. JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, December 19, promised not to force Ukraine into any agreement to end Russia's invasion as European allies joined fresh talks in Miami. The weekend talks come as President Vladimir Putin, in an annual news conference, vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing battlefield gains nearly four years into his war.
President Donald Trump's envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but Kyiv will likely be expected to surrender some territory, a prospect resented by many Ukrainians. But Rubio said that ultimately, both sides had to agree to a deal.
"There's no peace deal unless Ukraine agrees to it," Rubio told a news conference in Washington. "This whole narrative that we're trying to force something on Ukraine is silly."
"We can't force Ukraine to make a deal. We can't force Russia to make a deal. They have to want to make a deal," he added.
