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Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister of Ukraine, said ending Russia’s war against Ukraine is impossible without the direct involvement and leadership of the United States, while also calling for Europe to assume a larger role in future peace efforts.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the “Ukraine–Africa. Past, Present and Future of Relations” forum, Sybiha stressed that U.S. participation remains indispensable for any meaningful diplomatic process aimed at ending Russian aggression, UATV English reports.
“Without the United States, it is unrealistic to achieve an end to Russian aggression. Simply unrealistic. These are the realities,” Sybiha said. “Therefore, we need both U.S. involvement and U.S. leadership.”
At the same time, the Ukrainian foreign minister argued that European Union countries should now play a stronger and more active role alongside Washington.
“The time has also come for a new role for Europe in peace efforts,” he said, emphasizing that American and European initiatives should function as “mutually complementary tracks.”
Sybiha added that he planned to discuss Europe’s future role in negotiations during an upcoming informal meeting with EU foreign ministers.
“We will discuss the role, format, and participation of Europe in peace efforts,” he noted.
The comments come amid broader concerns about stalled diplomatic engagement. Earlier, Marco Rubio, U.S. secretary of state, said negotiations involving Washington on ending the war had slowed due to a lack of progress, though he stressed that the United States remained prepared to re-engage if meaningful prospects emerged.
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