US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday that ending Russia’s war in Ukraine will become an official US policy under President Donald Trump, as part of the administration’s broader goal of promoting peace.
Former US Senator Rubio, known for his tough stance on China and strong support for Israel, was the first of Trump’s cabinet nominees to be sworn into office on Tuesday, following the US Senate’s unanimous confirmation of his nomination on Monday evening. Additional votes for other nominees were expected to take place later in the week.
During his confirmation hearing last week, the newly appointed top US diplomat emphasized that both Moscow and Kyiv would need to make concessions to bring the war to an end. He suggested that Ukraine may have to abandon its aim of reclaiming all the territory Russia has occupied over the past decade.
Rubio reiterated these comments during an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show on Tuesday, ahead of his swearing-in ceremony.
“It’s going to be the official policy of the United States that the war has to end, and we’re going to do everything possible to bring that about,” he said.
Former President Joe Biden, who authorized billions of dollars in US military aid to Ukraine after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, maintained that it was up to Ukraine to decide if and when to initiate peace talks with Russia.
While campaigning for president, Trump expressed his intention to end the war quickly, though he did not specify how he would achieve this.
Rubio acknowledged that resolving the conflict would be “complicated” because “every side’s going to have to give something.”
“The only way conflicts like this end is… not in public pronouncements,” Rubio said. “They end in the hard, vibrant diplomacy that the US seeks to engage in, in the hopes of bringing an end to this conflict that’s sustainable, in a way that assures the security of Ukraine and our partners in the region, but that stops the killing and the dying and the destruction that we’ve been seeing for quite a while now.”
At 53 years old, Rubio is a Republican who previously served on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees. The son of Cuban immigrants, he has also advocated for tough measures against the Communist regime in Cuba and its allies, particularly the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking at the White House after being sworn in, Rubio pledged to carry out Trump’s foreign policy aimed at “furthering the national interest of this country.”
He also stated that another key foreign policy goal under Trump will be “the promotion of peace. Of course, peace through strength, peace, and always without abandoning our values.”
