Rubio made the remarks shortly after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“And again, every time you see the headlines reporting people dying, it reminds you of why President [Donald] Trump has wanted this war to end from the very start,” he said.
“It’s important to note that since January, just as an example, on the Russian side they’ve lost 100,000 soldiers killed—not wounded, but killed. And on the Ukrainian side the figures are lower, though still very significant.”
Rubio seized on the human cost of the Russo–Ukrainian war to once again tout U.S. president’s efforts to secure a ceasefire.
“Trump believes wars are a senseless waste of human lives and resources, and he wants them to end,” said the secretary.
“He’s going to do everything in his power to bring a close to this war—and any other conflict he can help stop, as you saw in the past. And so we will continue working on this.”
Earlier, The Economist reported that during its 2025 summer offensive in Ukraine, Russia is sustaining its highest losses of the conflict to date. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia lost about 920 soldiers killed and wounded in the past day. Total enemy casualties are estimated at over a million troops.