Secretary Marco Rubio on Thursday with leaders from Europe and Ukraine. They convened to address the new and evolving Russian war in Ukraine. Joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff, Rubio stressed that the U.S. needs to immediately reconsider its role in the escalating conflict. He cautioned that if a solution truly isn’t achievable, then strong action is warranted.
On his way out of Paris, Rubio threw down the gauntlet at a press briefing. In his words, “If we can’t bring this war in Ukraine to an end, we should move on.” His comments reflect a growing sentiment that the U.S. needs to focus on different resources and efforts. If a fundamental change doesn’t happen soon we’ll need this kind of change.
Rubio further emphasized that the war in Ukraine is not America’s war. It’s not our war, we didn’t start the war,” he said. He reiterated that the U.S. has stood with Ukraine for over three years and sincerely hopes to see an end to the conflict. He underscored the need to recognize the limits of American responsibility.
For nearly the last three years, his name was most commonly associated with bipartisan efforts to help Ukraine defend itself against invading Russian forces. He pointed out that President Donald Trump has dedicated 87 days at the highest levels of government trying to resolve the situation. Rubio noted that we’re getting to what he described as a key inflection point. First, we need to determine if that’s even feasible. He stressed the importance of involving both sides to this decision-making process.
As events dangerously deepen in Ukraine, Rubio’s words speak to an extraordinary turning point for U.S. foreign policy. Yet the Secretary of State’s approach hints at a welcome change in our strategy, towards realism and away from endless engagement.
The gathering in Paris focused on strengthening our existing partnerships with our European allies as we all navigate the intricacies of this ongoing conflict. Rubio’s comments suggest that there may be a growing urgency among U.S. officials to evaluate the effectiveness of America’s current strategy in Ukraine.
