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Rubio: Donbas is the main point of contention in Ukraine war

24 October 2026 03:51 (UTC +04:00)

Donbas is the main point of contention in the war between Russia and Ukraine, with Moscow seeking to seize the region militarily and Kyiv unwilling to relinquish it, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, APA reports.

“People still call this the war in Ukraine. In reality, it is a war over Donbas. We are talking about one region of the country,” Rubio said.

According to him, the dispute concerns approximately 11% of Ukraine’s territory. He said Russia wanted to control these territories but had been unable to achieve that militarily, while Ukraine refused to surrender them on grounds of sovereignty and long-term security.

Rubio argued that both sides would need to make concessions to end the war.

“This war cannot be resolved on the battlefield. It can only be ended through diplomacy. The main question is whether an outcome can be achieved in which both sides gain something while also agreeing to concessions,” he said.

Rubio said Washington remained ready to mediate between Kyiv and Moscow.

He stressed that bringing the parties together would not automatically resolve the dispute, but that an agreement would be impossible without direct dialogue.

“This is a difficult process. But unless the parties sit down together and talk, the conflict cannot be resolved. We are ready to act as a mediator. We are not claiming that gathering them in the same room will immediately solve the problem. But if we cannot bring them together, we will have no chance of resolving it,” Rubio said.