Rubio accuses Zelenskyy of "lying," stating he never said Ukraine must make territorial concessions to receive U.S. security guarantees, and reveals that the U.S. might redirect part of its military aid to the Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State Rubio accused Ukrainian President Zelenskyy of "lying" on Friday, March 27, over Zelenskyy's claim that the United States conditioned its security assurances to Ukraine on Ukraine making territorial concessions to Russia.

After the G7 meeting held near Paris, Rubio told the media: "This is a lie. I saw Zelenskyy say these words, and it's regrettable that he said them because he knows they are not true."

Zelenskyy had previously stated in an interview with AFP that the U.S. was pressuring Ukraine to fully withdraw from the eastern Donbas region to end the war.

Rubio responded: "The message conveyed to him was clear: security guarantees will not take effect before the war ends; otherwise, we would be drawn into conflict. There is no condition attached requiring him to cede territory... I don't know why he said these things—they are not true." Rubio has long been regarded as one of the most steadfast supporters of Ukraine within the Trump administration.

The Donbas coal region includes the Luhansk and Donetsk areas. Currently, Ukrainian forces control less than 20% of the Donetsk region. With peace talks aimed at ending the four-year war caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stalled, Zelenskyy fears that escalating tensions with Iran could divert attention away from Ukraine from the U.S. and the international community.

Rubio also said on Friday that the U.S. is not ruling out reallocating military aid originally intended for Ukraine to meet demands arising from conflicts in the Middle East. He stated: "No reallocation has occurred yet, but this could happen. If we need something to safeguard American interests—and it's made in the U.S.—we will prioritize keeping it for America."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1860869085353996/

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