Trump’s State pick Rubio: time for Russia-Ukraine peace through “mutual concessions”

During his Secretary of State confirmation hearing, Florida Senator Marco Rubio outlined a new approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, emphasizing the need for “mutual concessions” to achieve peace. Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, stressed that ending the war should be “the official position of the United States.”

“There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation but also by the Ukrainians,” Rubio stated during questioning by New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. His remarks signal a potential shift in US foreign policy as the Trump administration prepares to take office.

Rubio suggested that Russia is unlikely to achieve a complete victory. “The truth of the matter is that in this conflict, there’s no way Russia takes all of Ukraine. The Ukrainians are too brave and fight too hard and the country is too big,” he said. However, he also expressed skepticism about Ukraine’s ability to fully restore its pre-war borders.

The timing of Rubio’s comments aligns with broader diplomatic initiatives from the incoming administration. Florida Representative Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, recently announced that the president-elect plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin “in the coming days and weeks.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine’s ban concerning talking directly with Putin remains in force.

Trump himself has previously expressed confidence in his ability to resolve the conflict, stating in September that “if we win [the election] we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.” This approach appears to build on what Trump’s team describes as his “very good relationship” with Putin.

Rubio criticized the current Biden administration for never having “clearly delineated that the end goal” was war resolution. He emphasized the mounting costs of the war, pointing out that Ukraine’s energy and infrastructure are “being decimated in ways that are going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild over the next decades.”

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