Negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have stumbled over the question of which country will have sovereignty over Donetsk.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the future of the Ukrainian oblast is one of the few remaining hurdles in the negotiations, which he described as a “fluid situation” and “moving very quickly.”
“I think the one remaining item remains the one you’re all familiar with — that is territorial claim on Donetsk in particular,” Rubio told the committee. “I know there is active work going to see if both sides’ views on that can’t be reconciled. It’s still a bridge we haven’t crossed.”
“It’s still a gap, but at least we’ve been able to narrow down the issue set to one central one. And it’ll probably be a very difficult one, but nonetheless, it’s one where work is going on,” he continued.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has remained adamant that Russia must control the entirety of the Donbas region, which is made up of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. Russian forces currently hold almost all of Luhansk.
The Ukrainian military has managed to retain control over approximately 30% of the territory in Donetsk and has repeatedly rejected proposals to cede the Donbas to Russia.
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States held trilateral negotiations in the United Arab Emirates over the weekend — discussions that the U.S. and Russia characterized as “constructive” but still short of a peace deal.
“The meetings covered a range of important issues – primarily military, essential to bringing the war to an end,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the negotiations on social media earlier this week. “Complex political matters that remain unresolved were also discussed. The key positions of all parties were analyzed. I outlined the framework for further diplomatic work. Preparations are now underway for new trilateral meetings this week.”
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, are spearheading the talks.
The Ukrainian government’s paramount concern is obtaining a security guarantee from the U.S., which would serve as a deterrence against future Russian invasions.
Zelensky told a joint press conference in Lithuania on Sunday that “the document is 100% ready.”
US SECURITY AGREEMENT FOR UKRAINE IS ‘100% READY’ TO BE SIGNED: ZELENSKY
Another round of meetings between Russia and Ukraine is expected to resume in Abu Dhabi later this week.
Rubio said on Wednesday that a U.S. envoy may attend the next discussions, but they will not include Witkoff and Kushner.
