U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Ukraine's armed forces the "strongest, most powerful" military in Europe in an interview with Fox News published on May 14.
"If you look, the Russians are losing five times as many soldiers a month as the Ukrainians are, and Ukraine is a smaller country and a smaller army for that matter," Rubio said.
"This war has caused the Ukrainians to develop new tactics, new techniques, new equipment, (and) new technology that is creating a sort of hybrid asymmetrical warfare," he added.
Rubio said Ukraine's military capabilities were shaped both by Western assistance and by years of combat against Russian forces.
The remarks come as President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to promote expanded military cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump, particularly in drone technology.
Kyiv has proposed sharing its battlefield-tested drone expertise with Washington, especially systems designed to counter Iranian-made Shahed-type attack drones. The proposal gained urgency as the U.S. faced similar threats during the conflict in the Middle East.
Rubio also said the Trump administration remains committed to ending Russia's war against Ukraine, even as U.S.-mediated peace negotiations have stalled for more than two months.
"We stand prepared, the President stands prepared, his team stands prepared to facilitate a diplomatic end to the war," Rubio said. "We've lost some momentum over the last few months."
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