Rubio calls Ukrainian armed forces the strongest and most powerful in Europe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that the war against Russia has turned the Ukrainian armed forces into the strongest in Europe.

Rubio noted in an interview with Fox News that the need to wage war against Russia has forced Ukrainians to develop "new tactics, new techniques, new equipment, new technology, creating a sort of hybrid asymmetrical warfare", which he described as undeniably impressive.

"I mean, if you look at 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 – although the Ukrainian armed forces are the strongest, most powerful armed forces in all of Europe, just to be clear, right now – obviously because a lot of the assistance they've gotten, but also because of the battlefield experience that they've gained," Rubio said.

At the same time, Rubio noted that a vast number of people are dying on both sides of the war and that Ukraine will need two decades to recover.

"The damage to the Russian economy is extraordinary. The Russians are losing 15-20,000 soldiers a month dead. Not injured, dead. It's a bad war. And we stand prepared, the president stands prepared, his team stands prepared to facilitate a diplomatic end to the war," the US secretary of state stressed.

He also acknowledged that momentum in the peace negotiations has been lost for various reasons.

Rubio recently noted the absence of a "fruitful outcome" in the peace process regarding Ukraine but stated that under changed circumstances the US is ready for further mediation between the Ukrainian and Russian sides.