Rubio: no energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, war must end through negotiations

Why it matters

Rubio's remarks amount to a senior US official publicly ruling out a 'devastating military victory' for either side and tying the only realistic endpoint to negotiations. Coming a day after Zelensky said Ukraine is ready for any format of energy ceasefire, Rubio's denial of such a deal signals a mismatch between Trump's optimistic public line and the State Department's more cautious read. The comments also frame the active US shuttle diplomacy — Witkoff and Kushner's trips and Rubio's presence at the UNGA meeting with Zelensky — as steps toward a possible roadmap for resuming peace talks in the coming weeks.

What happened

On September 22, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with WABC radio, quoted on the State Department website, that there is currently no energy ceasefire agreement between Ukraine and Russia and that the war will not end through a devastating military victory by either side but through a negotiated agreement. He added that while stopping the war would be a logical step, logic does not always prevail in foreign policy, and that the sooner the war ends through negotiations the fewer people will die and the less destruction there will be. Rubio said the US is not yet at the stage where an agreement can be reached but expressed hope that a roadmap for peace talks can be created in the coming weeks, and that President Donald Trump remains ready to seize any opportunity to bridge differences between Kyiv and Moscow.

The Rubio interview came after a September 22 meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York between Zelensky and Trump, attended by US side officials Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and a Ukrainian delegation that included Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, head of the Servant of the People faction Davyd Arakhamia and Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa. After the meeting Zelensky said Ukraine is ready for any format of energy ceasefire in exchange for Russia not attacking Ukrainian energy and water systems, that the US would convey Ukraine's proposal to Russia, and that US representatives had not insisted on Ukraine unilaterally stopping strikes on Russian oil refineries or other Russian territory facilities. Zelensky also said both the US and Ukraine want the war to end before winter, that the Americans had brought 'several interesting ideas,' that Kyiv is ready to return to a three-party (trilateral) negotiation format, and that involving Chinese leader Xi Jinping in talks would be desirable because he 'has influence on Putin.' At the same UNGA session Trump said the war would end 'sooner than people realize' and mentioned the possibility of additional sanctions on Russia and its oil-market counterparties.

The week before, on September 14, Trump had publicly claimed that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike each other's energy facilities; Zelensky conditioned any mutual halt on partner guarantees that Russia would comply. On September 15 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called a possible energy ceasefire a 'very good idea,' having days earlier effectively ruled one out by calling energy Ukraine's 'Achilles' heel.' US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had visited Moscow and Kyiv, holding one round of talks in each capital; Western media have speculated they could be replaced by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Budanov suggested the parties could return to trilateral talks as early as October.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All six Ukrainian articles in the batch lead with Rubio's statements as a US policy signal. Their headlines stress that the war 'will end through negotiations' and that there is 'no devastating victory,' casting Rubio's comments as a sobering check on expectations of a quick Ukrainian battlefield win. The articles repeatedly pair Rubio's remarks with Zelensky's September 22 readiness for an energy ceasefire and Kyiv's openness to a three-party (trilateral) negotiation format, presenting Ukraine as the constructive side. Several pieces also flag Zelensky's pitch to bring in Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Budanov's suggestion that trilateral talks could resume as early as October, sketching out how Ukraine sees the diplomatic horizon.

Where reporting differs

Sources disagree on whether an energy ceasefire actually exists: Rubio says there is none, while Trump publicly claimed on September 14 that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike each other's energy facilities. Sources also differ on Russia's posture: Peskov on September 15 called a possible energy ceasefire a 'very good idea,' but days earlier he had effectively ruled one out by calling energy Ukraine's 'Achilles' heel.' There is also a minor discrepancy over the name of the radio outlet: most articles cite WABC radio, while one refers to 'WAMBC Radio.'

Background

On September 14 Trump claimed Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to strike each other's energy facilities; Zelensky conditioned any mutual halt on partner guarantees of Russian compliance. On September 15 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called an energy ceasefire a 'very good idea,' having days earlier effectively ruled one out. On September 22 Zelensky and Trump met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York; Zelensky said Ukraine was ready for any format of energy ceasefire and that the US would convey Ukraine's proposal to Russia. At the same UNGA session Trump said the war would end 'sooner than people realize' and floated additional sanctions on Russia and its oil-market counterparties. US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had recently visited Moscow and Kyiv, holding one round of talks in each capital; Western media have speculated they could be replaced by CIA Director John Ratcliffe.