Rubio calls for “hard diplomacy” in Russia-Ukraine war, urges concessions from both sides

He said this in an interview with Megyn Kelly on Thursday, January 30.

Rubio said that they considered Putin's actions terrible, noting that invading another country and committing atrocities were horrific deeds.

However, he stated that there had been "dishonesty" from the start, as the U.S. administration had "somehow led people to believe" that Ukraine could defeat Russia. In this context, Rubio criticized the previous approach to supporting Ukraine, calling it the funding of a "prolonged stalemate" that only caused more suffering.

He noted that "Ukraine is being set back a 100 years" as the country's energy infrastructure is being destroyed, and many Ukrainians are leaving and settling abroad permanently.

He concluded that "that’s their future, and it's endangered in that regard."

Rubio also emphasized that, in President Donald Trump’s view, "this is a protracted conflict and it needs to end now." In this context, he stressed the need for negotiations, noting that in any talks, " both sides are going to have to give something up."

He expressed confidence that moving forward, "hard diplomacy" should be pursued. However, he reiterated that "both sides in a negotiation have to give something, and that's going to take time."

At the same time, the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that President Trump recognizes the goal is to end the war, as both Russia and Ukraine are paying a high price.

• This is not Marco Rubio’s first such statement. In mid-January, during a Senate hearing, he already voiced the opinion that for the Russian-Ukrainian war to end, both Ukraine and Russia must make concessions.