It will be tough diplomacy: how Rubio sees the end of the war in Ukraine
31 January 11:31
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated his opinion that the war between Russia and Ukraine should be ended through negotiations in which both sides must make compromises. He voiced this position in an interview with Megyn Kelly, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
“First of all, I want to say that we condemn Putin’s actions. What he did is terrible – the invasion of another state, the cruelty he committed. These are truly terrible things,” Rubio emphasized.
However, according to him, from the very beginning, the situation was accompanied by a certain “dishonesty” when the US administration created the impression that Ukraine was capable of defeating Russia. He criticized the U.S. approach to helping Ukraine, noting that the funding supported a “prolonged stalemate” that only increased suffering.
“The dishonesty that has existed is that we have somehow allowed people to believe that Ukraine can not only defeat Russia, but destroy Russia, pushing them back to what the world looked like in 2012 or 2014,” he said.
Rubio noted that the war is setting Ukraine back decades: its energy infrastructure is being destroyed, and millions of Ukrainians are forced to leave their homeland, moving abroad for permanent residence.
“This is their future, and in this respect, it is under threat,” he concluded.
He also noted that President Donald Trump is convinced that this protracted war needs to end. Rubio emphasized that diplomatic efforts are needed, including negotiations, because without concessions from both sides, peace will be impossible.
“It’s going to be a tough diplomacy, as we’ve done in the world in the past, and we’re going to be realistic about it, but both sides have to give something in the negotiations,” the US Secretary of State said.
At the same time, Rubio noted that the main goal remains to end the fighting, as both Ukraine and Russia are suffering significant losses as a result of this war.
Trump’s position on Ukraine
During the election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly stated that he would stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. This deadline has already passed.
Also during the election, the media spread the so-called “Trump Plan”. The plan was that the United States would use its influence to stop the war, taking into account the status quo. To do this, Trump would force Putin and Zelenskyy to sit down at the negotiating table. If Putin does not agree to negotiate, the United States will give Ukraine all the weapons it needs to win on the battlefield. If Zelenskyy refuses to negotiate, the United States will completely stop helping Ukraine.
This plan, in its various variations, stipulates that Russia retains the territories it temporarily occupies and that Ukraine does not join NATO.
However, later Trump seemed to “forget” about this plan. In particular, he voiced scenarios in which he would force Russia to capitulate due to the decline in world oil prices.
After Trump was elected President of the United States, one of his advisors, Brian Lanza, said that Ukraine should forget about Crimea. The president-elect’s entourage, however, was quick to deny this statement and said that Lanza could not speak for Trump.
Currently, the future US Special Representative for Russia and Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is talking about 100 days in which he wants to reach some kind of agreement.
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