America’s top diplomat has described the conflict in Ukraine as a “proxy war” between Washington and Moscow that “needs to come to an end.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that Ukraine and its allies had no idea how to achieve peace, arguing that giving Kyiv resources to fight on against Russia is “not a strategy.”
Ukraine has been resisting a full-scale invasion by its neighbor for the last three years.
A bust-up between the American president and his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House last week exposed Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate a peace deal, Rubio claimed, adding that he hoped President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had since “corrected” his position.
“It’s been very clear from the beginning that President Trump views this as a protracted, stalemated conflict,” Rubio told the conservative broadcaster on Wednesday.
“Frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers, the United States helping Ukraine, and Russia – and it needs to come to an end.”
In sharp criticism of Ukraine and its allies in Europe and within the United States, Rubio said persevering with military support for Kyiv was not a viable way of ending the war.
The U.S. in recent days has suspended weapon deliveries and intelligence cooperation with Kyiv.
“The plan of the Ukrainians up to now, and their allies on Capitol Hill and people you talk to in other countries, is ‘let’s just keep giving them as much as they need for as long as it takes,’” Rubio said. “That’s not a strategy.”
Russia on Thursday rejected proposals for a one-month truce in Ukraine, saying only a “final settlement” would be acceptable to Moscow.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, agreed with Rubio’s characterization of the conflict as a proxy war. Russia has regularly accused the West, and the NATO military alliance especially, of encroaching on what it sees as its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.
“We have said this repeatedly. We have said that this is actually a conflict between Russia and the collective West. And the main country of the collective West is the United States of America,” Peskov said, quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Rubio, who last month took part in preliminary discussions with Moscow about opening peace negotiations, said that ending the conflict would benefit both Ukraine and Russia, as well as the U.S. and European countries.
Ukraine has been resisting a full-scale invasion by its neighbor for the last three years.
A bust-up between the American president and his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House last week exposed Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate a peace deal, Rubio claimed, adding that he hoped President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had since “corrected” his position.
“It’s been very clear from the beginning that President Trump views this as a protracted, stalemated conflict,” Rubio told the conservative broadcaster on Wednesday.
“Frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers, the United States helping Ukraine, and Russia – and it needs to come to an end.”
More arms for Ukraine ‘is not a strategy’
In sharp criticism of Ukraine and its allies in Europe and within the United States, Rubio said persevering with military support for Kyiv was not a viable way of ending the war.
The U.S. in recent days has suspended weapon deliveries and intelligence cooperation with Kyiv.
“The plan of the Ukrainians up to now, and their allies on Capitol Hill and people you talk to in other countries, is ‘let’s just keep giving them as much as they need for as long as it takes,’” Rubio said. “That’s not a strategy.”
Russia on Thursday rejected proposals for a one-month truce in Ukraine, saying only a “final settlement” would be acceptable to Moscow.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, agreed with Rubio’s characterization of the conflict as a proxy war. Russia has regularly accused the West, and the NATO military alliance especially, of encroaching on what it sees as its sphere of influence in Eastern Europe.
“We have said this repeatedly. We have said that this is actually a conflict between Russia and the collective West. And the main country of the collective West is the United States of America,” Peskov said, quoted by the Reuters news agency.
Rubio, who last month took part in preliminary discussions with Moscow about opening peace negotiations, said that ending the conflict would benefit both Ukraine and Russia, as well as the U.S. and European countries.
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