U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made headlines on March 10 with a pointed — and somewhat unusual — statement: “We will not be providing military aid to the Russians.”
The comment came in response to a reporter’s question ahead of the U.S.-Ukraine talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where a Ukrainian delegation is pushing to restart military and intelligence support from Washington.
Though the remark appeared to be a dismissal of any notion of siding with Russia, it also indirectly highlighted the current freeze on American aid to Ukraine, imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration after his Oval Office clash with President Volodymyr Zelensky in late February.
When pressed about whether U.S. aid to Ukraine could resume, Rubio hinted it was possible — but only if Kyiv showed stronger interest in diplomacy.
"All of that came about because we felt that they were not committed to any sort of peace process or not interested in negotiations," Rubio said, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
Kyiv Looks to Rebuild Ties
According to the Financial Times, Ukraine plans to use the Jeddah talks to urge the U.S. to resume both military aid and intelligence sharing, which have been critical to Ukraine’s battlefield efforts.
Ukrainian proposals reportedly include a ceasefire in the air and at sea, as well as a ban on long-range strikes, steps Kyiv says would be easy to implement and monitor.
Rubio’s comments also come against the backdrop of recent U.S. meetings with Russian officials — one in Jeddah on Feb. 18, and another in Istanbul on Feb. 27 — where they reportedly discussed restoring diplomatic ties and starting preliminary peace talks without Ukraine at the table.
These meetings have raised concerns in Kyiv about being sidelined in decisions that directly affect its future.
As talks unfold in Saudi Arabia, both sides will be watching closely to see whether this is a path toward renewed support — or a sign that Washington’s priorities have permanently shifted.
