Secretary of State Rubio: "The Ukraine War Is a Donbas War, What Russia Wants Is 11 Percent of One Part of That Country" ... "Will Only End Through Diplomacy"

United States

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the Russia-Ukraine war as the "Donbas war." The remarks came during an interview on October 22 at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai, India. The Secretary stated that this war "will not be solved militarily" and "can only end through diplomacy." Two days earlier, on October 20, at a press conference at the same hotel, he stated that he had spoken by phone with Ukrainian President Zelensky for 45 minutes.

11 Percent of Donbas

During the October 22 interview, Secretary Rubio was asked about Russian President Putin's remarks the previous day indicating openness to trilateral talks with the United States and Ukraine. He was asked what the realistic path to ending the war was.

The Secretary replied: "People call it the Ukraine war, but this is a war over the Donbas. It's about one region of that country. At the end of the day, Russia wants 11 percent of that part of the country, but has not been able to take it militarily, and Ukraine has no intention of giving it up."

The Secretary said Ukraine also has its reasons, pointing to sovereignty and long-term security. He added, "Both sides must make concessions for this war to end. This war will not be solved militarily. It will only end through diplomacy."

The Negotiating Table

The Secretary also addressed the U.S. role. "It's impossible unless both sides sit at the table and talk. We are willing to serve as a mediator." He noted that while putting both sides in one room does not solve the problem, there is no chance of solving it without doing so.

The official account of the U.S. Department of State posted the Secretary's remarks on the war on October 19: "The President is open to anything that he can do to help bring the war to an end."

On October 21, the U.S. Department of State account posted the following remarks by the Secretary: "If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now."

Phone Call with Zelensky

At the press conference at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on October 20, Secretary Rubio stated, "I spoke with President Zelensky today for 45 minutes." The Secretary corrected several matters, noting that there had been many inaccurate media reports.

He stated that assistance to Ukraine from the Department of War has not changed. He said the same applies to PURL (the program under which Europe purchases U.S. weapons and transfers them to Ukraine). Regarding intelligence sharing, he said, "The President made it clear that he did not direct any such change."

He said that Ukraine not receiving interceptor missiles was not because the United States "rejected it." Interceptor missiles are currently "the most in-demand item" in the defense sector, with Saudi Arabia and Israel also wanting them and the United States needing them as well, he explained. He noted that the U.S. has minimum criteria necessary to defend overseas bases, and production rates are ramping up rapidly.

On October 13 and 18, Ukraine failed to detect incoming airstrikes in advance. In response to remarks by Ukrainian government-affiliated figures alleging it was because the United States did not provide intelligence, the Secretary stated, "That is absurd and untrue." The Secretary viewed those two incidents as "technical issues" and affirmed that the U.S. continues to provide the same warnings as before.

President Trump

At the same press conference, the Secretary also explained the background behind the phone call. He said President Trump reacted to "suggestions that he is deliberately hurting Ukraine." He added that the President has stated from the very beginning that this war must end in a negotiated settlement and wants to achieve a deal.

The Secretary also said that the President is "angry and frustrated" after spending nearly two years on negotiations without progress.

The Black Sea and Energy

The Secretary said he had been conveying complaints for months regarding Ukraine's attacks on ships in the Black Sea. He noted that American companies had repeatedly reported that their cargo had been struck. He explained that countries around the world are facing diesel challenges due to the compounding impacts of the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi pipelines targeted by the Houthis, and attacks on refinery facilities in the Russia-Ukraine war.

In an interview in India on October 20, he praised India's proposal for a ceasefire in the Black Sea: "I reviewed the text produced by the Indian side about a week and a half ago. It played a very positive role." However, he stated that a ceasefire is difficult because attacks in the Black Sea hold "strategic value" for the warring parties.

Reasons Why the War Must End

At the October 20 press conference, the Secretary laid out the reasons why the war must end: Too many people are dying. Ukraine's power grid is being destroyed. Every month, 20,000 to 25,000 Russians die advancing in Ukraine. In Kyiv, civilians have died from ballistic missile strikes.

The Secretary stated, "I have not seen anyone in the world disagree with this." He warned that failing to end it through negotiations will not only result in more deaths and continued destruction, but also carries the risk of the war spreading elsewhere.

Asked about the possibility of the leaders of the U.S., Russia, and China discussing arms control, he said President Trump "does not view talking to someone as a concession." He added: "How do you reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine without talking to both countries?"

Sources (KST)

• U.S. Department of State · 2026-10-22 Interview (Mumbai) · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-and-u-s-ambassador-to-india-sergio-gor-with-raj-chengappa-of-india-today/
• U.S. Department of State · 2026-10-20 Remarks to the Press (Mumbai) · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-remarks-to-the-press-19/
• U.S. Department of State · 2026-10-20 Interview (Mumbai) · https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesman/2026/10/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-with-shubhajit-roy-of-the-indian-express
• X @StateDept · https://x.com/StateDept/status/2112130137034801267
• X @StateDept · https://x.com/StateDept/status/2112857879141040497