Rubio: Trump-Putin meeting only hope for Ukraine peace deal

A face-to-face meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only realistic path to achieving a breakthrough in the ongoing war in Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Speaking with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Rubio reaffirmed Trump’s position that his presence is the only way to ensure productive negotiations, Caliber.Az reports. 

“Yeah, it’s my assessment and I think it’s the President’s assessment. By the way, I think he [Trump] said publicly today that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here – nothing is going to happen at this point – given everything we know, after months of working on this, nothing is going to happen until President Trump sits across the table from Vladimir Putin and puts it on the line and puts it on the table,” he stated.

Rubio emphasised that months of negotiations, trips, and diplomatic efforts have failed to produce results, and direct engagement between the two leaders is now seen as the only viable option.

While no date or location has been set for such a meeting, he expressed confidence that this strategy represents the best remaining opportunity for peace.

Highlighting Trump’s foreign policy approach, Rubio described the president as “a lover of peace,” noting that he aims to stop, prevent, and end wars.

“He wishes we didn’t have to spend all this money on the military; we could spend it instead on creating wealth and prosperity and human development,” Rubio said.

The war in Ukraine, now in its third year, has resulted in massive casualties and widespread destruction. Rubio underscored the human and financial cost, saying the conflict “has gone on far too long, destroyed thousands and thousands of lives, and really is going to cost billions of dollars to rebuild from.”

“I think this is something we should be very proud of, that we have a President that seeks peace, seeks the end of death and destruction,” he added.

By Sabina Mammadli