Russia pounds Kyiv as Rubio urges Ukraine's Zelensky to 'focus' on ending the war

Samarkand, October 19 — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that intelligence sharing with Ukraine had been temporarily halted, insisting that no such pause had occurred. When queried about Ukraine's assertion of the suspension, Rubio emphasized that the United States had not interrupted its intelligence exchange with the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted on Sunday that the alleged pause had been lifted by the American side after a three-day suspension.

Rubio, currently in Uzbekistan for discussions with regional officials, highlighted US President Donald Trump's desire for Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to prioritize ending the war. The US diplomat expressed that his focus, along with that of the Trump administration, is on bringing an end to the ongoing conflict. "That’s what he (Zelensky) should be focused on and what we want to be focused on is bringing an end to this war," Rubio stated.

President Trump, who claims to have reached a fuel export agreement with Russia in exchange for easing sanctions, has recently criticized Zelensky over the war. On his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed to have made "great progress" in negotiating peace between Russia and Ukraine, but contended that Zelenskyy lacks interest in ending the war.

Trump further alleged that Zelenskyy targets Russian diesel refineries, aware that these strikes are causing significant disruption to global diesel markets, including in the United States.