US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday (February 25) that the war in Ukraine “does not have a military solution,” arguing that only negotiations can end the conflict and positioning Washington as the indispensable broker.

Rubio’s comments came the same day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, following a telephone call with Trump, said Kyiv expects the next round of trilateral talks in March on a settlement to pave the way for a leaders’ meeting.