Secretary of State Marco Rubio has shifted his approach to the war in Ukraine throughout his time in the Senate. In the months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Rubio rallied support for Ukraine among the public, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin “a killer” and questioning his mental health in a post on X.
I wish I could share more,but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with #Putin
He has always been a killer,but his problem now is different & significant
It would be a mistake to assume this Putin would react the same way he would have 5 years ago
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 26, 2022
Rubio had previously been one of Putin’s chief critics in Washington, accusing him of perpetrating war crimes and killing political opponents. Rubio had previously warned Trump during his first term to be “clear-eyed about who Putin is” ahead of a meeting of the two leaders in 2018.
However, his hawkish comments in the past have transitioned into a tendency toward seeking a peace settlement to end the war even on terms that are unfavorable to Ukraine. A year ago, he abruptly reversed his previous support for Ukraine aid and was one of 29 senators who voted against an aid package to Ukraine, claiming the aid came at the price of enforcement efforts along the U.S. southern border.
Rubio started working toward ending the war in Ukraine, meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and other senior Russian and U.S. officials on Tuesday, the first high-level communication between Washington and Moscow since the war began. Ukrainian officials were notably absent from the conversation.
The former Florida senator said Tuesday that ending the war in Ukraine could “unlock the door” for “incredible opportunities” to work with Russia on issues “that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term.” The comments signaled a major reversal after years in which the Biden administration led efforts to isolate Moscow.
Senate Republicans are signaling they are willing to give Trump and Rubio some leeway in their efforts to end the war in Ukraine, despite some distancing themselves from Trump’s comments openly disparaging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and echoing Russia’s calls for new Ukrainian elections.
“There’s probably a lot of good cop, bad cop probably going on, I don’t know. I don’t know some of the strategic reasons for some of the comments, but I imagine Marco is making a lot of phone calls,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), speaking to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday.
A handful of Republican senators on Wednesday sounded off after Trump called Zelensky “a Dictator without Elections” and blamed him for starting the war with Russia. Trump’s deferential treatment of Putin has made things uncomfortable for Republican defense hawks.
“I was a little surprised at one of the president’s comments,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said of calling Zelensky a dictator. “I wouldn’t use the same word.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who recently traveled to Ukraine, also said he would not use the word dictator to describe Zelensky.
“Make no mistake about it. That invasion was the responsibility of one human being on the face of this planet. It was Vladimir Putin in a calculation to go through Ukraine and not stop there, to go through Moldova, to go through the Balkans, to ultimately go to the Baltic states, and send the signal to China that now is the time that they can take action in the South China Sea,” Tillis told reporters. “That’s what this is about, and that’s what we as members have to communicate,” he said.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) called Putin “a war criminal who should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed.” Wicker, who has long opposed the idea of negotiating with the Russian president, said Putin should not be trusted in any negotiation.
At a meeting with Senate Republicans to discuss the budget on Wednesday afternoon, Vice President JD Vance touched on Trump’s Zelensky comments and acknowledged the differences in opinion on the topic within the conference, according to a source familiar with discussions. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was the only senator to speak and said Republicans need to be “on the same page.”
“We have not settled, we’re still figuring out how to settle,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), coming out of the meeting, responding to a question from the Washington Examiner about how to end the war in Ukraine.
“Here’s where I disagree with the White House: To the extent that the White House said that Ukraine started the war, I disagree. I think Vladimir Putin started the war,” Kennedy said to reporters Wednesday. “I also believe, through bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster.”
Following the meeting, some Republican senators expressed their concern about a deal that favors Russia and didn’t want any negotiation to be seen as a victory.
“I think many of the members would like to see this war end but we also think that Ukrainian leaders and European leaders should be at the table,” said a Senate GOP aide familiar with discussions. “We cannot reward Russia in any way for invading Ukraine and starting this war.”
A year ago, now-Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and 21 of his Republican colleagues voted to send $60 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine, defying then-candidate Trump’s wishes.
“America cannot retreat from the world stage,” the South Dakota senator said, explaining his vote at the time. “American leadership is desperately needed now more than I think any time in recent history, and we need to make sure that Ukraine has the weaponry and the resources that it needs to defeat the Russians.”
For now, Thune made it clear that he’s willing to give Trump and his team “some space.”
“I think what I’m in support of is a peaceful outcome and result in Ukraine. And I think right now, the administration, the President and his team, are working to achieve that, I think right now you got to give them some space,” Thune said, speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference on Wednesday.
The Senate Republican leader sidestepped a question asking him to weigh in on Trump’s most recent comments.
“The president speaks for himself, what I want to see is a peaceful result, a peaceful outcome. And I think right now, there’s a negotiation going on and let’s see where that ultimately leads,” Thune added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said Trump was right to call out Zelensky for postponing elections in Ukraine — elections that were supposed to happen in spring 2024 but were delayed due to the war.
“[Trump] said he hasn’t held an election in six years or whatever it’s been, which is correct. [Zelensky] hasn’t; he should hold an election,” Hawley said, speaking to reporters. “We held elections during World War II, Britain held elections during World War II — if they’re a democracy, they should hold elections.”
David Sivak contributed to this report.
