U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his visit to India, stated that without the support of the United States, Ukraine would not have been able to preserve its existence as a sovereign state. According to the head of American diplomacy, this includes the support provided under the administration of President Donald Trump. The statement was made on Wednesday in response to journalists' questions and was connected to a recent The Wall Street Journal report regarding the operation of the Starlink satellite system in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing RBC-Ukraine.
"There Would Be No Ukraine Now"
"If it weren't for the help of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now. Ukraine would not exist as a sovereign state," Bloomberg quotes Rubio as saying. The Secretary of State was commenting on the The Wall Street Journal article released on the eve of his address. According to the report, SpaceX founder Elon Musk ordered a slowdown of the Starlink satellite system, which, according to Ukrainian authorities, helps defend against Russian aerial attacks.
The WSJ Report and the Role of Starlink
The Wall Street Journal cites anonymous American and other officials. According to them, Musk discussed the decision to slow down Starlink with U.S. President Donald Trump after the changes became public knowledge. Another source told the publication that Musk, who is a Trump ally, spoke about the impending changes with members of the administration even before they were implemented. This was the specific report Rubio was commenting on during his meeting with the press in India.
Washington's Position: "We Were Not Managing This"
Answering a direct question about the newspaper's report, the Secretary of State declared: "It is not true that we somehow knew about this in advance or managed it." He stated that he was unaware of whether the U.S. President knew about the restriction beforehand. Rubio added that the United States "cannot in any way control what a private company does with its product." He also emphasized that Washington no longer intends to make excuses on this matter, and noted that Ukrainian fighters are resisting Russia "very bravely."
Negotiations on Ending the War
Rubio reported that "very complex negotiations" are currently underway to end the war, which he noted has been ongoing for five years. By his assessment, they are focused around the fate of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine, and "several creative ideas" have already been proposed to understand the positions of both sides. "Both sides will have to give up something, and these conversations are difficult. I think the main desire for Ukraine is to ensure long-term security so that it is never attacked again," the Secretary of State stated.
Diplomatic Backdrop: Diesel Sanctions and Oslo
Rubio's statement comes against the background of other diplomatic maneuvers. As RBC-Ukraine reported, the U.S. expects that lifting sanctions on Russian diesel will push the head of the Kremlin toward concessions. According to available information, Witkoff is set to present Putin with an updated proposal to end the war, and Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner will join the conversation via video link. Earlier, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, following negotiations in Oslo, stated that the parties have found ideas for a peaceful resolution, including those regarding air defense, energy facilities, and partial ceasefires; he said these ideas should be presented to Russia.
