Washington (TDI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Tuesday that ending Russia’s war in Ukraine would become a cornerstone of American foreign policy under President Donald Trump, as part of the administration’s broader aim to prioritise peace and stability on the global stage.
Former US Senator Rubio was the first of Trump’s cabinet nominees to be sworn into office on Tuesday, after the Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination on Monday evening.
Additional votes on other Trump nominees were likely this week.
During his confirmation hearing last week, Rubio said both Russia and Ukraine would have to give concessions to end the war and suggested Kyiv would have to give up its goal of regaining all the territory Moscow has taken in the last decade.
Former President Joe Biden, who provided billions of dollars in US weapons to Kyiv following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, emphasized that it is Ukraine’s decision to determine if and when to engage in peace negotiations with Russia.
Trump, while campaigning for president, stated he would immediately end the war, without explaining how he would do so.
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Rubio said it would be complicated because every side is going to have to give something.
“The only way conflicts like this end is not in public pronouncements,” he said. “They end in hard, vibrant diplomacy that Washington tries to engage in, in the hopes of bringing an end to this war that’s sustainable, in a way that assures the security of Ukraine and the US partners.”
Rubio a Hardliner
A Republican, Rubio was a long-time member of the Senate foreign relations and intelligence committees.
The son of immigrants from Cuba, he has also advocated tough measures against the Communist-ruled island and its allies, particularly the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
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Speaking at the White House after he took charge, Rubio pledged he would carry out President Trump’s foreign policy of “advancing the national interest of the USA.”
