US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has categorically denied that Washington is demanding Ukraine cede territory in exchange for protection.
According to Rubio, American security guarantees will only take effect after the war ends and are in no way tied to the surrender of Ukrainian land.
As reported by Hvylya, the US official made these remarks in response to President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent interview with Reuters.
Rubio dismissed the claims linking security guarantees to territorial concessions as completely false. "That is a lie. I don't know why he is saying that," the Secretary of State said sharply.
Previously, Zelensky told journalists that the United States was supposedly willing to provide security guarantees to Ukraine only if it surrendered the Donbas region. The president emphasized that such a move carries enormous risks, as it would require abandoning heavily fortified defensive positions in the east.
The Ukrainian leader also admitted that pressure from Donald Trump's administration has intensified recently. Zelensky attributed this shift to Washington redirecting its focus toward the war with Iran. Despite these disagreements, he thanked the US for its uninterrupted supply of weapons to the Ukrainian army.