Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio highlighted the need to support Ukraine in its war with Russia in order for Kyiv to be in the best position possible to negotiate a ceasefire. Otherwise, he said, Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to impose "neutrality" on the country to buy time and attempt another large-scale invasion.
Rubio made the assessment while claiming the war needs to end and criticizing the Biden administration for "not delineating an end goal." The "however much for however long" approach is not "realistic," Rubio said during his confirmation hearing.
🚨 MARCO RUBIO: Ukraine war has to end. It should be the official policy of the U.S. that it has to end. This will not be easy, but it's going to require bold diplomacy. It can begin with a ceasefire. We need to set and achieve OBJECTIVES, concessions will need to be made. Then,… pic.twitter.com/SI30rEfRmx
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 15, 2025
In that context, he said the "war of attrition" is taking a heavy toll on both countries, but it is unlikely any will achieve total victory. "It is unrealistic to believe a nation the size of Ukraine, now matter how incompetent and how much damage Russia suffers as a result, will push them back to where they were on the eve of the invasion."
Consequently, he said the key will be to avoid an outcome where Putin has "maximum leverage so he can impose neutrality on Ukraine, rearm and do this again in four, five years." "It is important for Ukrainians to have leverage but they will have to make concessions too," Rubio said, echoing President-elect Donald Trump's call for an end to the war.
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