US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is still prepared to play a mediating role in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but acknowledged that current peace talks are stalled and have produced no results.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, May 22, Rubio said the US became involved in the negotiations because it was seen as the only party both Kyiv and Moscow would engage with.
“The peace negotiations on Ukraine under American leadership... we got involved, because we were told we were the only ones that could do it. We were the only ones that the Russians and the Ukrainians would talk to,” Rubio said.
He added that the process has so far failed to deliver progress.
“They were not fruitful, unfortunately, that’s the point. We stand ready to continue to play that role,” he said.
Rubio rejected reports suggesting the US had pressured either side into specific positions.
“Despite leaks that are not true, despite stories out there about us forcing the Ukrainians to take this position or that position, which are not true,” he said.
He stressed that Washington remains open to facilitating future negotiations if conditions improve.
“If we see an opportunity to pull together talks that are productive, not counterproductive, and that have the chance to be fruitful, we’re prepared to play that role,” Rubio said, adding that “there are no such talks occurring at this time.”
Rubio said a negotiated settlement remains the only viable path to ending the war.
“We hope that will change, because that war can only end with a negotiated settlement. It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other,” he said.
He added that US President Donald Trump remains interested in supporting diplomatic efforts, but progress has stalled in recent months.
“We just sort of sensed that there wasn’t a lot of progress being made,” Rubio said. “We’re also not interested in getting involved in an endless cycle of meetings that lead to nothing.”
He concluded that while other actors could theoretically take on the role of mediator, no alternative framework currently appears viable.
“If someone else would like to handle it, they should,” Rubio said. “But it doesn’t appear to be anybody else in the world right now that can handle it.”
Notably, in the evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and its international partners are currently focused on intensifying diplomatic efforts.
According to him, Kyiv is awaiting feedback from the US regarding possible formats and schedules for future negotiations.
He stressed that Ukraine continues to improve its battlefield position while increasing pressure on Russian forces.
On May 20, Zelensky said Ukraine had maintained “good contacts” with the US and hoped to resume meaningful trilateral peace talks in the coming weeks, this time involving European partners.
“If we manage to return to meaningful trilateral communication in these weeks and if we manage to involve the Europeans, that will be the right result,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported on May 19 that Kyiv is seeking to restore a broader European negotiation format involving Britain, France, and Germany. Ukrainian officials reportedly no longer view the US as a sufficiently effective standalone mediator.
The so-called E3 format was originally created in 2003 for nuclear negotiations with Iran and has since evolved into a platform for coordinating positions on sanctions, European security, and Middle East policy.
According to the report, Zelensky discussed the idea with French President Emmanuel Macron, proposing to add “additional content” to the format.
Kyiv is also pushing for European mediators to press Moscow into talks, arguing that continued pressure on Russia, including Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside its territory, could help bring the Kremlin to negotiations.
The first round of Ukraine-US-Russia talks took place on January 24 in Abu Dhabi, followed by a second round in February and further discussions in Geneva. However, negotiations later stalled amid the escalation of the US-Iran conflict and persistent disagreements over the Donetsk region.
On May 7, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov met in the US with President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The talks focused on humanitarian issues and ways to revive diplomatic engagement, Ukrainian officials said.