Territorial issues over Donetsk are the remaining item that still require a bridging of views at US-mediated talks to end Russia's war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, describing the issue as "a very difficult one."
Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Rubio said there might be a US presence in the follow-up Ukraine talks but President Donald Trump's top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had taken part in the previous talks, will not be participating.
US has told Ukraine it must sign peace deal, Zelensky insists Ukraine needs US security guarantees
The United States has told Ukraine that it must sign on to a peace deal with Russia in order to get US security guarantees, a source familiar with internal discussions told Reuters on Tuesday.
US security guarantees are considered by Ukraine as the linchpin for any settlement ending Russia's four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. The United States brokered talks in Abu Dhabi between envoys for Ukraine and Russia last weekend that US officials said made progress toward an agreement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that a US document on security guarantees for Ukraine was "100% ready" and Kyiv is now awaiting a time and place for it to be signed.
Zelensky has consistently said that Ukraine's territorial integrity must be upheld in any peace deal to end the war.
Ukraine's foreign minister says Putin 'cynically' attacked during Abu Dhabi talks
Ukraine's foreign minister accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday of "cynically" ordering a massive missile strike while delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the US were in Abu Dhabi for Washington-brokered peace talks.
"One person was killed, and at least four were injured in Kyiv. A maternity ward, an IDP dormitory, and a hospital were damaged in Kharkiv, causing civilian casualties. Northernmost regional center, Chernihiv, is left without power after strikes," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
"This barbaric attack once again proves that Putin's place is not at the board of peace, but at the dock of the special tribunal," he added.