Rubio: The War Against Ukraine Did Not Go As The Kremlin Had Planned

• 8.10.2026, 12:51

The situation has reached a strategic impasse.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that Russia’s war against Ukraine has not gone as Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had planned.

The American statesman expressed this view to the Greek publication Kathimerini .

Rubio stated that Putin did not anticipate this turn of events in the war when the Russian Federation’s army launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In his view, the war did not go as the Kremlin leader had planned. Rubio believes there is a risk of further escalation of the war, as the situation has reached a strategic stalemate.

The U.S. Secretary of State noted that strategic stalemates can be resolved in two ways. The first way is through negotiations. The second way is through escalation of the conflict. According to him, reaching a peace agreement would be good for both Ukraine and Russia, but “so far, that seems difficult to achieve.”

The U.S. Secretary of State said that the main problem in resolving the war through diplomatic means is that Russia wants to seize the entire Donetsk region of Ukraine, while Kyiv considers this demand unacceptable.

The United States fears a sabotage operation in a country neighboring Ukraine that could spiral out of control. Rubio cited the attack by maritime drones and UAVs on merchant ships off the coast of Bulgaria as an example.