Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Sunday blasted the Biden administration for failing to define “what victory in Ukraine means” and said a future Trump administration would end the war “with a negotiated settlement.”
“We hope that when that time comes, there will be more influence on the Ukrainian side than on the Russian side. That, in my opinion, is really the goal here. And I think that’s it [former President] Donald Trump is trying to say,” Rubio said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
His comments come after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the US last week for meetings with Trump, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
After her meeting with Zelenskyy on Thursday, Harris said there are “some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality and would require Ukraine to renounce security relations with other countries. .”
“These proposals are the same as those of [President Vladimir] Putin, and let us be clear: these are not peace proposals,” she added. “Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.”
On Friday, Trump told Fox News in a joint interview with Zelenskyy after his meeting with the Ukrainian president that “if I win, we will have a very fair, and I think even quite quick deal. [The war] must stop, and the president [of Ukraine] wants it to stop, and I’m sure President Putin wants it to stop, and that’s a good combination. That’s why we want a fair deal for everyone.”
When asked if Trump’s position on the war has changed, the former president said he had learned a lot, but his position is the same: “We both want this to end, we both want a fair deal to be made .”
When asked what fair means, Trump said it was “too early to tell” but that he has his own ideas. Zelenskyy noted later in the interview that the US has the ability to lead negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Trump said it was possible he and Zelenskyy would meet again and reiterated that this war is a “complicated puzzle” and should never have happened.
Meanwhile, Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who is a staunch opponent of aide on Ukraine, sparred with Zelenskyy last week.
On Saturday, Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of engaging in partisan politics with Democrats.
“I wanted to come the same week that President Zelenskyy came to Pennsylvania from Ukraine,” Vance told attendees at a campaign event in the state. “And I don’t know if you all noticed, but he came to campaign with the Democratic leaders of this country.”
Vance added, “You know what I would like Zelenskyy to do when he comes to the United States of America? Give thanks to the people of Pennsylvania and everyone else.”
These comments echoed a similar comment Vance made Wednesday in Michigan ahead of Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, in which Vance said he did not appreciate the wartime leader “coming to this country and telling American taxpayers what to do ‘.
He was referring to Zelenskyy’s visit last week to a munitions factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. After the visit, the Ukrainian president posted photos from his tour on X and wrote: “It is in places like this where you can really feel that the democratic world can triumph. Thanks to people like these – in Ukraine, in America and in all partner countries – who work tirelessly to ensure that life is protected.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
