Rubio: US Is Not Trying to Harm Ukraine, Warning Failures Still Being Investigated

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to India, has rejected claims that Washington is intentionally denying Ukraine early warnings about Russian missile strikes or holding back air defence missile deliveries, Politico reports. The issue has come to the fore as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine ahead of winter, while concern grows in Europe over how reliable US support is.

Rubio's explanation

Rubio said American policy on passing early warning notifications to Ukraine has not changed and that Ukraine receives the same information as before. He called the claims of deliberate non-notification shocking. According to him, the US is looking into why Ukraine had problems with information about Russian attacks on 13 and 18 October. Rubio suggested it could also be an internal Ukrainian problem, if Ukrainian systems failed to receive the information provided and process it correctly. The key point, he said, is that nobody is trying to harm Ukraine on purpose.

On weapons, he said Kyiv is mainly asking for urgent deliveries of Patriot systems. That request must be weighed against US needs, since stockpiles have been substantially depleted by the war with Iran, as well as against the demands of other allies.

Zelensky's accusations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on 19 October accused the US of stalling deliveries of air defence missiles that have already been paid for. He also said the US does not always warn of incoming Russian ballistic missiles, while attacks that kill civilians have become more frequent. Ukraine has also said that Starlink and Starshield services remain restricted in certain frontline areas, and that Starlink satellite internet speeds have been reduced, making it harder to intercept Russian drones.

An anonymous official familiar with the matter told Politico that the US warnings had always worked and then suddenly stopped arriving. According to this source, the Americans first blamed the weather, later a software glitch, but no official explanation has been given.

Zelensky said on 20 October that he had informed Rubio about the reduced Starlink speed, and thanked him for his willingness to help and his clear position.

Political background

Rubio spoke to journalists shortly after Kaja Kallas, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, accused Washington in the European Parliament on the morning of 20 October of trying to force Ukraine to surrender. She said American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine to give in for almost two years. Tension has also grown as US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Kyiv to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries and reach a deal with Moscow. On 19 October Trump said Russia had been gentle toward Ukraine.