A Massachusetts representative stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin "welcomed" Secretary of State Marco Rubio's threats to remove the US from peace negotiations surrounding Ukraine, alluding to a mutual understanding between Putin and President Donald Trump.
BERMAN: How much do you think Vladimir Putin fears this threat from Rubio to move on from the peace negotiations?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 18, 2025
AUCHINCLOSS: Fears? He welcomes it. Because if the US withdraws, then Ukraine becomes Russia's playground ... this is Trump winking at Vladimir Putin and saying 'We… pic.twitter.com/hbsVU2NSYm
Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) appeared on CNN Central News on Friday, being interviewed by anchor John Berman on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"How much do you think Vladimir Putin fears this threat from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to move on from the peace negotiations?" Berman asked Auchincloss.
"Fears? He welcomes it. Because if the United States withdraws, then Ukraine becomes Russia's playground, right? The Europeans are going to do their best to try to mount a rapid response force, a security force, but they can't do it on their own, and Vladimir Putin knows that," Auchincloss replied. "They do need a NATO backstop. They do need permission from the Americans to unfreeze those Russian assets in Brussels to help pay for Ukrainian defense industrial complex. They do need American armaments and materiel."
"So, what this really is, is Donald Trump winking to Vladimir Putin and saying, we lose, you win," he continued.
Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Paris this week to attend high-level peace negotiations with other European and Ukrainian officials regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
"If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on," Rubio told reporters before leaving Paris. "We need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable," he said.
Trump has stated that, while he doesn't hold Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responsible for the beginning of the Ukraine war, he is frustrated at the way the conflict has progressed.
"I don't hold Zelenskyy responsible, but I'm not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started. That was a war that would have never started if I were president," Trump told reporters.
Originally published on Latin Times
