Rubio sets the record straight on where Trump stands with Putin’s demands

Rubio sets the record straight on where Trump stands with Putin’s demands

JOURNAL” WHO ATTRIBUTED IT TO SEVERAL EUROPEAN OFFICIALS. JOINING ME NOW IS THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, MARCO RUBIO, WHO WAS ALSO ON THE TRIP TO ALASKA WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AND WHO WILL BE THERE TOMORROW WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ZELENSKYY AT THE WHITE HOUSE. MR. SECRETARY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. >> THANK YOU. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. MARIA: WHY DID PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MEETING WITH PUTIN END WITH NO CEASEFIRE, AND WHAT DOES PUTIN WANT? >> YEAH. WELL, A COUPLE THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, IF YOU RECALL, THERE’S NO WAY YOU CAN HAVE A MEETING LIKE THAT AND NEVER SAID THERE WAS GOING TO BE A DEAL COMING OUT OF THE MEETING WAS THE UKRAINIANS WERE NOT THERE. THIS IS A WAR BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES, NOT AMERICA, UKRAINE AND RUSSIA. WE’VE SPOKEN REPEATEDLY WITH THE UKRAINIAN STYED, WE’LL SEE THEM — SIDE, WE’LL SEE THEM AGAIN TOMORROW. SO I DO THINK SOME PROGRESS WAS MADE IN THAT TALK. IN TERMS OF NARROWING DOWN THE ISSUE SET. NOW, THESE ARE HARD ISSUES, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE THE TERRITORIAL LINES ARE GOING TO BE, QUESTIONS ABOUT LONG-TERM SECURITY GUARANTEES AND AND WHO UKRAINE CAN HAVE MILITARY ALLIANCES WITH, THINGS LIKE THAT. THESE ARE DIFFICULT THINGS, BUT I DO BELIEVE WE MADE PROGRESS ON NARROWING DOWN THE ISSUE SET, BUT THERE’S A LOT OF WORK THAT REMAINS. THERE’S A REASON WHY THIS WAR’S BEEN GOING ON FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS. IT NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD PRESIDENT TRUMP BEEN PRESIDENT, BUT HE INHERITED IT. HE’S MADE PEACE A PRIORITY OF HIS ADMINISTRATION AS YOU’VE SEEN WITH ALL THE PEACE DEALS WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE. THIS ONE’S THE HARD’S ONE. EVERYONE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT. — HARDEST ONE. PEACE MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE DON’T KNOW. BUT IF IT IS POSSIBLE, HE’S THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN GET IT DONE, AND THAT’S WHY EVERYONE’S ASKING HIM TO MEET WITH PUTIN AND ALSO TO COME HERE TOMORROW TO MEET WITH HIM TO TALK FURTHER ABOUT WHAT WE DO NEXT. MARIA: A EUROPEAN DIPLOMAT HAS CONFIRMED TO FOX THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SUPPORTS PUTIN’S PROPOSAL FOR RUSSIA TO TAKE FULL CONTROL OF LUHANSK AND DONETSK, ALL OF DONBAS. DO YOU SUPPORT THAT MOVE IN. >> NO, FIRST OF ALL, I DON’T KNOW WHO TOLD YOU THAT, BUT THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT. THE PRESIDENT HAS SAID IN TERMS OF TERRITORIES AND STUFF, THESE ARE THINGS THAT ZELENSKYY AND THE UKRAINIAN SIDE’S GOING TO HAVE TO AGREE TO. THAT’S — ALL THE PRESIDENT’S TRYING TO DO HERE IS NARROW DOWN THE OPEN ISSUES, NARROW THEM DOWN AND SEE IF WE CAN PLAY SOME ROLE IN BRINGING THAT CLOSER TOGETHER SO WE CAN STOP THIS WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL. LOOK, IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE, IT’S NOT GOING TO GET BETTER. YOU’VE SEEN THAT IN THE ESCALATION IN THE ATTACKS. RUSSIA’S ECONOMY IS 100% FULL-TIME WAR FOOTING. BOTH SIDES ARE HITTING EACH OTHER VERY, VERY HARD, AND THE WAR IS ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. SO HE’S TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING HE CAN TO BRING IT TO AN END. PEOPLE WITH ALL THESE STUPID LEAKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THEY ALL JUST WANT TO SOUND IMPORTANT. THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT. THE PRESIDENT’S BEEN VERY CLEAR, HE IN TERMS OF, LIKE, WHAT PUTIO AGREE TO, THAT’S UP TO THEM TO DECIDE. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT THEY’RE ULTIMATELY GOING TO GIVE AND GET. BUT HERE’S WHAT I CAN TELL YOU FOR CERTAIN, YOU CAN’T HAVE A PEACE DEAL BETWEEN TWO WARRING FRANKS — FACTIONS UNLESS BOTH SIDES AGREE TO GIVE UP TO SOMETHING — GIVE UP SOMETHING. IF ONE SIDE GETS EVERYTHING THEY WANT, THAT’S NOT A PEACE DEAL, IT’S CALLED SURRENDER, AND I DON’T THINK THIS IS A WAR THAT’S GOING TO END ON THE BASIS OF SURRENDER. THIS IS TOUGH STUFF. IT’S DIFFICULT TO BRING THESE TWO SIDES TOGETHER. WE MADE SOME PROGRESS, WE BELIEVE, AND NOW WE HAVE TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT THAT PROGRESS. AND ULTIMATELY, WHERE THIS SHOULD LEAD IS TO A MEETING BETWEEN THE THREE LEADERS, ZELENSKYY, PUTIN AND PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHERE WE CAN FINALIZE. BUT WE’VE GOT TO GET THIS THING CLOSER BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POINT. MARIA: WHAT DOES EUROPE WANT, SECRETARY? >> WELL, LOOK, I THINK THE ROLE THAT EUROPE CAN PLAY, ULTIMATELY, IN THE LONG TERM IS ON SECURITY GUARANTEES THAT UKRAINE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT. THEY SHOULD PLAY A KEY ELEMENT IN THAT REGARD. AND I ALSO THINK THAT EUROPEANS ARE A VERY HELPFUL BEING IN THE ROOM SOMETIMES AND SORT OF GIVING IDEAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ACCOMMODATIONS CAN BE MADE AND WHAT FLEXIBILITY THE UKRAINIAN SIDE COULD HAVE. SO THAT’S THE ROLE THAT THEY’VE PLAID UP TO THIS POINT. THE PRESIDENT INVITED THEM TO COME HERE. HE TOLD PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY TO COME ON MONDAY AND BRING EUROPEAN LEADERS THAT HE CHOSE. SO THERE’S A HANDFUL OF HEADS OF STATE THAT WILL BE HERE AS WELL TOMORROW AT THE INVITATION OF THE PRESIDENT TO SEE IF WE CAN MAKE SOME PROGRESS ON SOME OF THESE POINTS. THE PRESIDENT SPOKE TO MANY OF THESE LEADERS ON THE AIRPLANE, I THINK 2:00 IN THE MORNING AT OUR TIME, PROBABLY 8 OR 9:00 IN THE MORNING THEIR TIME ON THE WAY BACK FROM ALASKA. AND YESTERDAY I HAD A CALL WITH ALL THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISERS OF THE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. SO WE’VE GOT A WORK AGENDA AHEAD OF US OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, AND WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS NOW FOR A WHILE AS WELL BECAUSE WE ALSO TALKED TO THEM BEFORE. WE HAD MULTIPLE MEETINGS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM REEDING UP TO THE — LEADING UP TO THE EVENTS IN ALASKA. SO THEY CAN PLAY A VERY CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE HERE. BUT ULTIMATELY, ONLY PRESIDENT TRUMP — IF A PEACE DEAL IS POSSIBLE, THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN BRING IT ABOUT. MARIA: IS EUROPE STILL BUYING RUSSIAN OIL? >> WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE OIL THAT’S GOING TO CHINA AND BEING REFINED, A LOT TO IS THEN BEING SOLD BACK INTO EUROPE. EUROPE’S ALSO BUYING NATURAL GAS AS WELL. THE COUNTRIES ARE TRYING TO WEAN THEMSELVES OFF OF IT, BUT THERE’S MORE EUROPE CAN DO IN REGARDS TO THEIR OWN SANCTIONS. BUT THEY’VE GOT AN ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS PACKAGE SUPPOSEDLY COMING OUT SOON. BUT FOR US, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE THAT EUROPE CAN PLAY HERE IS TO HAVE A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN BUILDING UP THOSE SECURITY GUARANTEES THAT WOULD ALLOW UKRAINE THE POTENTIAL FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE A DEAL ON THE REST OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE AT A STAKE. MARIA: WELL, I MEAN, WOULDN’T THAT BE A MAJOR LEVER TO PULL, TO PUT SANCTIONS ON EUROPE OR PUNISH EUROPE FOR CONTINUING TO BUY OIL AND GAS FROM RUSSIA? IS THAT SOMETHING ON THE TABLE? >> WELL, I DON’T KNOW ABOUT ON EUROPE DIRECTLY, OBVIOUSLY, BUT CERTAINLY THERE ARE IMPLICATIONS TO SECONDARY SANCTIONS. IF YOU PUT SECONDARY SANCTIONS ON A COUNTRY, LET’S SAY YOU GO AFTER THE OIL SALES OF RUSSIAN OIL TO CHINA, CHINA JUST REFINES THAT OIL. THAT OIL IS THEN SOLD INTO THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, AND ANYONE WHO’S BUYING THAT OIL WOULD BE PAYING MORE FOR IT, OR IF IT DOESN’T EXIST, WOULD HAVE TO FIND AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE FOR IT. SO WE HAVE HEARD, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SENATE BILL THAT WAS BEING PROPOSED WHERE THERE’S 100% TIFFS ON — TARIFFS ON CHINA AND INDIA, WE DID A HEAR FROM THEM, SOME CONCERN ABOUT WHAT THAT COULD MEAN. LOOK, I DON’T WANT TO GET INTO A TIT FOR TAT WITH EUROPEANS ON THIS. I THINK THEY CAN PLAY A VERY CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN HELPING US GET TO THAT POINT. AND THE PRESIDENT HAS KEPT THEM IN THE LOOP. THE FIRST CALL THE PRESIDENT MADE AS SOON AS THE MEETING WITH PUTIN WAS OVER WAS TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO WHO WILL BE THERE AS WELCH WE’VE BEEN IN — AS WELL. WE’VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH THEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH REGARDS TO THIS PROCESS. SO I THINK THE PRESIDENT’S DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF TRYING TO BRING THE SIDES TOGETHER. THERE’S A LOT OF WORK THAT STILL REMAINS. YOU DON’T HAVE A DEAL UNTIL THERE’S A DEAL. THIS IS NOT AN EASY DEAL. AS YOU SAW ACKNOWLEDGED IN ALASKA, IT’S ACTUALLY A WAR THAT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THE PRESIDENT HAD BEEN IN THE WHITE HOUSE. HE INHERITS A 3-YEAR-OLD WAR, AND NOW HE’S TRYING TO ENTHAT TANGLE IT. IT FALLS APART, IT’S GOING TO GO ON MUCH LONGER, THOUSANDS AND NOW MORE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE AND BE INJURED AS A RESULT OF THIS. MARIA: CAN YOU GIVE US ANY CLARITY ON A TIMELINE IN TERMS OF THE U.S.’ THINKING? OBVIOUSLY, THERE’S NO CEASEFIRE IN PLACE RIGHT NOW. WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS? ARE WE JUST GOING TO WATCH THE MURDERS CONTINUE? >> NO. LOOK, AT SOME POINT A DECISION HAS TO BE MADE IF A PEACE DEAL IS POSSIBLE OR NOT. IF AT SOME POINT IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT BOTH WITH SIDES ARE SO DUG IN THAT WE’RE JUST NOT NEAR A PEACE DEAL, THEN THE PRESIDENT WILL HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE ABOUT HOW MUCH MORE TIME DO WE INVEST IN IT AND WHAT ACTIONS DOES HE TAKE THEN. IF THIS MORNING THE PRESIDENT WOKE UP AND SAID I’M PUTTING THESE TERRIBLE, YOU KNOW, STRONG SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, THAT’S FINE. MAY MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD FOR A COUPLE HOURS. BUT HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE BASICALLY SAYING, TALKS ARE OVER FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR YEAR AND A HALF, THERE’S NO MORE FALKS. — TALKS. PUTIN’S NOT GOING TO MEET WITH MACRON OR THE U.K. WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THESE LEADERS. NONE OF THESE LEADERS ARE GOING TO BRING HIM TO THE TABLE. THERE’S ONLY ONE LEADER IN THE WORLD THAT HAS ANY CHANCE OF BRINGING THESE TWO SIDES TOGETHER. IF THERE IS A CHANCE, THAT’S PRESIDENT TRUMP. AND YOU FORFEIT THAT ROLE THE MINUTE YOU PUT ADDITIONAL SANCTIONS ON HIM. WE MAY GET TO THAT POINT, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT IF WE DO, IT MEANS PEACE TALKS ARE NO LONGER POSSIBLE, AND THAT WOULD BE VERY UNFORTUNATE. BECAUSE THE REAL WORLD RAMIFICATIONS ARE THAT WHILE WE’RE DOING T INTERVIEWS ABOUT THIS AND CALLING EACH OTHER NAMES, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TODAY WILL BE INJURED AND KILLED IN THE BATTLEFIELD AND IN CITIES IN UKRAINE, ON THE FRONT LINES AND EVEN IN RUSSIA. EVEN AS WE SPEAK, PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR ARE SUFFERING AS A RESULT OF IT, AND I THINK WE ARE FORTUNATE AND BLESSED AND SHOULD BE THANKFUL TO HAVE A PRESIDENT THAT HAS MADE PEACE AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PEACE A PRIORITY OF HIS ADMINISTRATION. WE’VE SEEN IT IN CAMBODIA AND THIGHLAND INDIA-PAKISTAN, WE’VE SEEN IT IN RUE WAN A DA AND THE DRC, AND WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE ANY OPPORTUNITIES WE CAN FIND TO BRING ABOUT PEACE IN THE WORLD. MARIA: UNDERSTOOD. WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TO PRESENT TO ZELENSKYY TOMORROW? >> WELL, I THINK TOMORROW’S CONVERSATIONS, A LOT OF IT, WILL BE CENTERED AROUND WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF SECURITY GUARANTEES THAT UKRAINE IS LOOKING FOR, BECAUSE WHAT UKRAINE IS LOOKING FOR IS, OKAY, THE WAR ENDS, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT MANY TWO OR THREE YEARS THE RUSSIANS DON’T COME BACK AT US. SO THEY WANT GUARANTEES BUILT UP SO THAT THEY CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES OR PREVENT SUCH A WAR FROM OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE. SO THE DETAILS OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE IS SOMETHING THAT, HOPEFULLY, WE’LL SPEND A LOT OF TIME DISCUSSING TOMORROW. WE HAD A LONG CONVERSATION ABOUT IT YESTERDAY WITH THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISERS OF MULTIPLE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. SOME WORK HAS ALREADY GONE INTO IT, BUT NOW WE’RE AT A STAGE WHERE WE NEED TO BUILD SOME DETAILS ON IT AND THEN, ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, PRESENT THAT TO THE RUSSIAN SIDE WHO — AND GET THEM TO ACCEPT IT. BUT FIRST, WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR DUCKS IN ORDER. MARIA: WHAT KIND OF SECURITY GUARANTEES IS THE U.S. WILLING TO MAKE? >> WELL, THAT’LL BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION TOMORROW. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER THAT ANY SECURITY GUARANTEE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE EUROPEANS, THERE’S A LOT THEY CAN DO AND OFFER, AND IT WOULD BE A HUGE CONCESSION. IT WOULD BE A VERY BIG MOVE BY THE PRESIDENT IF HE WERE TO OFFER A U.S. COMMITMENT TO SECURITY GUARANTEE. THAT’LL BE HIS DECISION TO MAKE. AND I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT. THAT TELLS YOU HOW BAD — IF IT — IF HE DOES IT, IT TELLS YOU HOW BADLY HE VALUES AND WANTS PEACE, THAT HE WOULD MAKE A CONCESSION LIKE THAT. THAT’S WHAT WE’LL TALKING ABOUT TOMORROW. I’M SURE WE’LL SPEND SIX, SEVEN HOURS TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS, MAYBE MORE, AND TRY TO GET TO A POINT WHERE WE HAVE SOMETHING MORE CONCRETE. WE’VE DONE A LOT OF WORK ON IT ALREADY, BUT MORE WORK WITH IS REQUIRED BEFORE WE CAN SAY WE HAVE A PLAN ON SECURITY GUARANTEES THAT UNIFIES US. MARIA: WHAT OTHER ECONOMIC LEVERS DOES U.S. HAVE TO USE HERE? I MEAN, YOU’VE GOT THE SECONDARY SANCTIONS, AND YOU SAID PERHAPS THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE DONE WITH CHINA. WHAT ABOUT DESIGNATING RUSSIA AS A STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM, WHICH IS SOMETHING LEADERSHIP CITY GRAHAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON? — LINDSEY GRAHAM? >> WELL, THOSE DESIGNATIONS CAN BE USEFUL FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, IT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE WAR. LOOK, CAN THE U.S. INFLICT GREATER PAIN ON THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY GOING AFTER THE BANKING SECTOR, OIL COMPANIES, THINGS OF THIS NATURE? OF COURSE WE COULD, OF COURSE WE CAN. AND THAT ALWAYS REMAINS, UNFORTUNATELY, AN OPTION. BUT JUST UNDERSTAND, IF WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE DOING THAT, OAK, IT MAY MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD, AND IT MAY HAVE AN IMPLICATION ON RUSSIA IN THE LONG TERM, BUT IN THE SHORT TERM IT MEANS TALKS ARE OVER. AT THIS POINT WE ARE BASICALLY NOW STUCK WITH ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF OR TWO OF WAR, OF DEATH, OF DESTRUCTION. THAT’S WHAT IT MEANS. WE MAY GET TO THAT POINT, SADLY AND UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE PEACE IS NOT POSSIBLE. WE’RE TRYING TO AVOID GETTING TO THAT POINT. WE WANT EVERY OPPORTUNITY POSSIBLE FOR THE RUSSIANS TO SAY YES TO SOMETHING THAT UKRAINE CAN LIVE WITH. AND I THINK THE PRESIDENT DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT FOR WANTING TO DO THAT. NO ONE ELSE IS TRYING TO DO THAT. JOE BIDEN COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT, NO OTHER LEADER IN THE WORLD COULD DO IT. FRANKLY, HE DOESN’T HAVE TO DO IT. THE WAR IN UKRAINE GETS A LOT OF ANTICIPATION, AND IT’S A VERY TRAGIC THING THAT’S GOING ON, BUT LIFE IN AMERICA ON A DAILY BASIS WILL BE LARGELY UNAFFECTED WHETHER THERE’S PEACE IN UKRAINE OR NOT. THAT’S JUST A FACT. WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES WE’RE FOCUSED ON NOT JUST AT HOME, BUT AROUND THE WORLD. BUT THE FACT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS DEDICATED THIS MUCH TIME TO A WAR ON ANOTHER CONTINENT TELL YOU HOW MUCH HE VALUES PEACE, AND WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WHO VALUES PEACE AND WANTS TO USE THE POWER OF HIS OFFICE TO ACHIEVE THE END OF WARS AND THE PREVENTION OF NEW ONES. MARIA: BUT ISN’T THE U.S. DIRECTLY IMPACTED BECAUSE OF THAT RARE EARTH MINERALS DEAL? HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT DEAL, AND HAS PUTIN ALREADY AFFECTED THAT DEAL BY BOMBING THE REGION? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THAT DEAL’S IMPORTANT, BUT, I MEAN, IT’S NOT — THE UNITED STATES HAS OTHER SOURCES OF RARE EARTH MINERALS. I THINK THAT DEAL’S VERY IMPORTANT FOR UKRAINE IN TERMS OF THEIR OWN RECONSTRUCTION AND REBUILDING AND TO HAVE AMERICAN PARTNERS IN A POSTWAR UKRAINE IS A GREAT BENEFIT TO THE UKRAINIANS. OBVIOUSLY, IT WOULD BE GREAT FOR US TOO. BUT I DON’T THINK THAT ALONE JUSTIFIES, YOU KNOW, US BEING BEHIND THE WAR EFFORT HERE. WHAT WE WANT TO DO HERE IS BE BEHIND A PEACE EFFORT. WE WANT TO ACHIEVE THE END OF THE WAR. I’M NOT SAYING OUR INTERESTS IN UKRAINE ARE ZERO. WHAT I AM SAYING IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS PLACED ON THIS WAR IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD COMPARE TO SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES WE HAVE AROUND THE WORLD THAT DESERVE OUR ATTENTION AS WELL. AND THE PRESIDENT JUST DESERVES A LOT OF CREDIT FOR PUTTING SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY BEHIND SOMETHING THAT IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO END. IT’S A VERY DIFFICULT WAR TO END. THE RUSSIANS FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THEY HAVE THE UPPER HAND, THAT THEY’RE MAKING PROGRESS. THEY DON’T NECESSARILY FEEL PRESSURE, AND THE UKRAINIANS FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT THEY WERE INVADED, THAT THEY’VE BEEN AGGRIEVED AND THAT WHAT THE RUSSIANS HAVE DONE IS HORRIFYING AND SHOULD BE STOPPED. SO BOTH SIDES ARE PRETTY DUG IN. WE DON’T HAVE SANCTIONS ON UKRAINE, WE HAVE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA. WE PROVIDE WEAPONS AND ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE. SO THE U.S. HAS DONE A LOT ALREADY WITH REGARDS TO THIS. BUT THIS PRESIDENT’S TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO END IT, HOW TO STOP IT. AND I THINK THAT’S INCREDIBLE, THAT WE HAVE A PRESIDENT WILLING TO USE THE POWER OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE POWER — THAT’S THE GOAL HERE. NOT TO WIN THE WAR, IT’S THE — TO END IT. MARIA: SO WILL YOU CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON RUSSIA IN ALL WAYS IN ORDER TO STOP THIS? WHAT IS THE NEXT PRESSURE POINT? >> WELL, IN ORDER TO HAVE A PEACE DEAL, BOTH SIDES ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE CONCESSIONS. SO OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE RUSSIAN SIDE IS GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE CONCESSIONS. ONE SIDE CANNOT GET EVERYTHING THEY WANT. IN A NEGOTIATION, ONE SIDE GETS EVERYTHING THEY WANT, THAT’S NOT A PEACE DEAL, THAT’S A SURRENDER. THAT’S THE TERMS OF SURRENDER, AND I DON’T THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THAT BY EITHER SIDE ANYTIME SOON. THE REALITY IS IN ORDER TO MAKE A PEACE DEAL, UKRAINE IS GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT THINGS IT DOESN’T LIKE, AND RUSSIA IS GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT THINGS IT DOESN’T LIKE. MARIA: OKAY. >> AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO USE THE INFLUENCE OF THE PRESIDENCY TO PUSH BOTH SIDES TO MAKE THOSE CONCESSIONS. MARIA: DID PUTIN BRING UP A POTENTIAL NUCLEAR DEAL WITH THE UNITED STATES AS PART OF THIS? >> NO. NO. THE TALKS WERE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY — AND I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, 99 WERE JUST ABOUT THE WAR AND ABOUT HOW TO BRING IT TO AN END AND THE RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE. AND DON’T — PEOPLE SHOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF MEETING IN PERSON. THEY’VE HAD MULTIPLE PHONE CONVERSATIONS, BUT MEETING IF PERSON ALLOWS YOU TO GET A BETTER GAUGE OF HOW STRONGLY ONE SIDE FEELS ABOUT CERTAIN ISSUES. WE’VE MET WITH THE UKRAINIANS DOZENS OF TIMES. IT’S THE FIRST MEETING WITH THE RUSSIAN SIDE AND PRESIDENT PUTIN. AND OBVIOUSLY, HOPEFULLY, THE NEXT TIME WE MEET IT’LL BE BECAUSE ZELENSKYY’S IN THE ROOM AND THEY’RE GETTING CLOSE TO FINALIZING A PEACE DEAL.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio discusses the core issues addressed at the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska and working with European allies to end the Russia-Ukraine war on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’ #foxnews #news #world #russia #trump #politics #putin

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