The United States has stated that the war in Ukraine cannot be solved through military means. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made this clear before an important meeting in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. He said that both Russia and Ukraine may keep fighting without reaching their goals.

The meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is meant to fix tensions between the US and Ukraine, especially after the US reduced its support for Kyiv. Ukraine’s delegation, led by President Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, will meet Rubio and other top US officials. Saudi Arabia is considered neutral ground for these discussion.

Before traveling to Jeddah, Rubio said the goal is to see if Ukraine is willing to make compromises to help end the war. He emphasized that both Ukraine and Russia will need to make tough decisions to reach a peace deal or at least pause the conflict.

Rubio explained that Russia cannot take full control of Ukraine, and Ukraine will struggle to push Russian forces back to pre-2014 borders anytime soon. This means both sides must realize that a military victory is unlikely.

Tuesday’s meeting is the first direct discussion between the US and Ukraine at this level since a disagreement between former US President Trump and Zelenskyy, which led to the US cutting key military and intelligence support.