Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply criticized ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday regarding the U.S.’s relationship with Russia, arguing that the “sooner” people “grow up,” the closer they will come to ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Following a tense discussion in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the White House canceled a potential mineral deal between the U.S. and Ukraine, with Trump declaring that Zelenskyy was not ready for “peace.” On ABC’s This Week, Stephanopoulos pressed Rubio about the deteriorating relationship with Ukraine by cherry-picking a tweet from an anti-Trump GOP moderate, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who ridiculously suggested that the U.S. is “embracing Putin.”
“Well, which ones? What steps has the president taken to placate?” Rubio asked as Stephanopoulos attempted to read Murkowski’s statement. “Are we arming the Russians? Are we providing economic assistance to the Russians? Have we given the Russians $180 million? What are we doing to placate them?”
In a post on X, Murkowski stated that not only did Trump officials refuse “to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine,” but the tense Oval Office interaction left her feeling “sick” to her stomach “as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies.”
“We’re a free country, people have a right to these opinions,” Rubio responded. “I would just say to you, what have we done to placate the Russians? The only thing we’ve done is say, are you guys willing to talk about peace? I say the same point. We’re not giving that — ”
However, Stephanopoulos quickly interjected, noting that the U.S. had voted alongside “North Korea, Russia, and Belarus in the United Nations, and against our Western allies,” referencing a European-drafted UN resolution on Monday that addressed Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine.
“Do you know what the United Nations resolution was? I’ll tell you if you want to hear what it was,” Rubio said. “It basically said this has been a horrible war. It’s time for it to end. The job of the U.N. is to bring about peace in the world. I thought that’s what the U.N. was created to do, to stop wars and to prevent them?” He added: “That’s what the resolution did. Was it antagonistic towards the Russians? No. Back to the point. But it also didn’t praise the Russians. All it said is this is a bad war. It needs to end.”
On Monday, the UN General Assembly adopted two competing resolutions aimed at resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Rubio pointed out that one of these resolutions was introduced by the United States in the Security Council, marking the first resolution passed since the invasion began in February 2022, according to UN News.
“I just don’t get it. I really don’t. Other than the fact that it’s Donald J. Trump. If this was a Democrat that was doing this, everyone would be saying, ‘Well, he’s on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize,’” Rubio continued. “This is absurd. We are trying to end the war. You cannot end the war unless both sides come to the table, starting with the Russians.” He added, “That is the point the president has made. We have to do whatever we can to try to bring them to the table to see if it’s even possible. I’m not promising you it’s possible.”
But he wasn’t done. “The sooner everyone grows up around here and figures out that this is a bad war that’s heading in a bad direction with death and destruction and all kinds of danger surrounding it that could spiral into a broader conflict,” Rubio said. “The sooner people grow up and realize that, I think the more progress we’re going to be able to make. But the president’s crystal clear … he is going to be a president that tries to achieve peace … We’re going to do everything we can to end it in an enduring and sustainable and fair way,” Rubio concluded.