CaliToday (03/12/2025): The Trump administration’s ambitious drive to bring the grinding war in Ukraine to a close has hit its most significant obstacle yet: the iron will of the Kremlin.
In a candid interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a sobering assessment of the ongoing peace negotiations. While acknowledging that the administration has made "certain progress" in crafting a framework to end the nearly four-year-old conflict, Rubio emphasized that the final hurdle remains immovable.
"Every decision in the case of Russia has to be made by Putin himself, not his advisors," Rubio stated. "Only Putin can end this war from the Russian side."
High-Stakes Diplomacy in Moscow
Rubio’s comments came against the backdrop of intense, high-level shuttle diplomacy. A delegation representing President Trump, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner, recently concluded a marathon five-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Their mission was to present a 19-point peace plan, a document meticulously drafted by Washington in coordination with Kyiv just last week.
However, the meeting concluded without a breakthrough. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, while Moscow found some US proposals "acceptable to a certain extent," others were deemed "completely impossible." The mixed response signals that while the door to diplomacy is open, the gap between the two nuclear powers remains wide.
The "Irrational" Cost of Attrition
Secretary Rubio did not mince words when describing the current state of the battlefield. He characterized the ongoing Russian offensive as the "most irrational war," citing staggering attrition rates that suggest desperation rather than strategy.
"Russia is losing approximately 7,000 soldiers a week," Rubio revealed, noting that this immense loss of life is being expended to capture a mere "30 to 50 kilometers" of remaining territory in the Donetsk region the final 20 percent that Russia does not yet control.
"Neither side is truly winning," Rubio added, painting a picture of a bloody stalemate that is draining resources and lives with diminishing strategic returns.
A Future Where Ukraine Outpaces Russia
Despite the grim reality on the ground, Rubio outlined an optimistic vision for a post-war Ukraine, provided a deal can be reached. The administration’s goal is not just a ceasefire, but a framework that ensures Ukraine is "never invaded again."
Rubio argued that with the right security guarantees and reconstruction efforts, Ukraine’s potential is limitless. "If done right, in 10 years, Ukraine's GDP could surpass Russia's," he predicted, suggesting that economic victory could ultimately replace military victory.
The Ball is in the Kremlin’s Court
The message from Washington is clear: The United States and Ukraine have put a viable path to peace on the table one that protects Ukraine’s sovereignty while offering a diplomatic off-ramp.
However, the reluctance of the Kremlin to accept the core tenets of the 19-point plan suggests that the war may drag on until Vladimir Putin decides that the cost of continuing outweighs the price of peace.
"We are closer to a deal that protects Ukraine’s future," Rubio concluded, "but I cannot gauge the level of optimism because it all depends on one man."