US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Ukraine would have to make concessions to Russia over land it has occupied since 2014 as part of any peace agreement.
Rubio spoke as he traveled to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, ahead of crunch talks between Ukrainian and US delegations aimed at ending Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine that will begin on March 11.
“The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it’ll be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014,” he told reporters.
Rubio has also added that it will be necessary to find out what Russia is willing to concede, saying that this would give the US a "pretty good assessment" of how far apart the conflicting parties are.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier in the day, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy praised the cooperation between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia and said he hopes that the upcoming meeting with the US delegation in Jeddah will bring "practical outcomes".
"Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive," he added.
As Kyiv is likely to propose a peace plan outlined by Zelenskyy that includes an air and sea truce as the first step, Rubio said he sees potential in Ukraine's proposal.
"I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end this conflict."
The US, Ukraine’s main military supporter, is pushing for a quick conclusion to the conflict by engaging in direct talks with Moscow while halting military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
The US-Ukrainian talks on March 11 will be the first formal meeting since an Oval Office argument between Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance on February 28 that saw the Ukrainian president publicly berated and asked to leave the White House.
Zelenskyy said he will not be part of the US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah. Kyiv’s delegation will include Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
They will meet with a US delegation that is expected to include Rubio, Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and national-security adviser Mike Waltz.
"Realistic proposals are on the table. The key is to move quickly and effectively," Zelenskyy said in a March 9 post on X.
Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News before leaving the United States that he had high hopes going into the talks, which would touch on territorial claims and security protocols.
"I think that we're going over there with an expectation that we're going to make substantial progress," he said, adding that he's "really hopeful."
"All the signs are very, very positive."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, a key mediator between Washington and Kyiv, said he spoke with Trump on March 10 about the upcoming talks in Jeddah. Starmer said he hoped the outcome would persuade Trump to restart intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Ukraine.
The White House last week announced it was halting weapons shipments and intelligence sharing, claiming Ukraine wasn't committed to peace.
During the blow up at the White House, Trump accused Zelenskyy of acting like a "tough guy" because he had the backing of the US.
Witkoff told Fox News that the US had not cut off defensive intelligence sharing while Trump said late on March 9 that the US "just about" restored intelligence sharing.
Zelenskyy is under intense pressure from Washington to quickly agree a cease-fire with Russia, despite no pledge of a US security guarantee. But so far, Moscow has not shown interest in a cessation of hostilities.
Russia has stepped up attacks on its neighbor and reported battlefield gains in recent days.
On March 9, Trump suggested that Ukraine may not be able to withstand the war against Russia even with US support.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump defended his decision to reduce support to Ukraine, saying: “Well, it may not survive anyway.”
Trump also repeated his claim that Zelenskyy was not “grateful” for US support but did describe the Ukrainian president as “smart” and “tough.”
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the recapture of several villages and towns on March 9 in its Kursk region -- -- as well as new settlements in eastern Ukraine -- with unconfirmed reports that thousands of Ukrainian troops risks being encircled by Russian forces.
Russia has been making territorial gains in eastern Ukraine since early 2024. However, military analysts say that Russia -- which now occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine -- can not continue the scale of its current offensive much longer due to significant losses of troops and equipment.
