US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has called Russia’s war “terrible” as Washington insists, while pressuring Ukraine to concede territory, that it is doing everything it can to put an end the fighting.
Rubio said he expects to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this weekend stressing the urgency of ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters before departing for Munich late Thursday, Rubio said the meeting is likely but not yet finalized.
Zelensky has previously said he plans to attend the conference if security conditions in Ukraine allow.
Rubio described Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine as “terrible,” emphasizing the human cost of the war.
“That’s why we want the war to end. People are suffering. It’s the coldest time of year. It’s unimaginable, the suffering,” Rubio said, adding that the US has been working for more than a year to help bring the conflict to a close.
Rubio is scheduled to deliver a speech at the conference on Saturday and said he expects his message to be well received, calling the gathering a “defining moment” in global politics.
“The old world is gone,” he said, arguing that countries must reassess their roles in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.
He also underscored the importance of transatlantic ties, saying Europe remains central to US foreign policy.
“We’re deeply tied to Europe, and our futures have always been linked and will continue to be,” Rubio said. “We just have to talk about what that future looks like.”
Georgia was long seen as one of the most pro-Western states in the former Soviet Union. But relations have soured amid mass protests against the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party.
AFP, reporting on Rubio’s arrival Thursday for the Munich Security Conference, wrote that “his aim will be to keep up pressure on Europe, though the tone is expected to be less confrontational than last year.”
Rubio will lead the US delegation to the annual security and defense talks, which run through Sunday in Munich.
“The United States nevertheless intends to push its European allies, who are still reeling from the political crisis over Donald Trump’s demands to acquire Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory,” as per the report.
Besides Greenland, the agenda will also cover the durability of transatlantic unity, the US security umbrella, and the war in Ukraine – as well as relations with Moscow.
After Munich, Rubio is set to travel to Slovakia and Hungary, both led by nationalist governments that have curried US President Donald Trump’s favor.
