US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States remains the only country capable of acting as an effective mediator in settling the Ukrainian conflict.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio noted that Washington does not object if other states want to contribute to achieving peace. However, according to him, both sides of the conflict continue to signal to the United States that, ultimately, only the American side has the capacity to play such a mediating role.

Earlier, in March 2026, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the trilateral negotiation format involving the United States had effectively been put on pause. He cited the fact that US negotiators had other priorities at the time.

In late April 2026, Russia proposed a ceasefire for the Victory Day period. Later, the sides agreed on a ceasefire from May 9 to May 11. On May 9, Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian conflict was approaching its conclusion.

The United States has repeatedly acted as a mediator in international negotiations before. However, Washington’s claim to an exclusive role in the Ukrainian settlement is regularly challenged by other players, including China and Turkey, which have also put forward their own peace initiatives.