By Rabia Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state said Wednesday that ending the war in Ukraine should be the official policy of the US.
“What Vladimir Putin has done is unacceptable. There's no doubt about it, but this war has to end, and I think it should be the official policy of the United States that we want to see it end," Rubio said at his Senate confirmation.
"This is not going to be an easy endeavor but it's going to require bold diplomacy, and my hope is that it could begin with some cease-fire ... to achieve objectives like the one that needs to occur in Ukraine, it is important for everyone to be realistic," he said.
Rubio suggested that ending the war would require concessions on all sides, including Russia, Ukraine and even the US.
“Putin's goal now is to have maximum leverage so that he can basically impose neutrality on Ukraine, retrofit and come back and do this again in four or five years. And that's not an outcome I think any of us would favor. By the same token, I think it's important that the Ukrainians have leverage, but they also will have to make concessions to reach this agreement," he said.
- Rubio faces anti-war protest
The hearing was briefly disrupted by protesters criticizing Rubio for his pro-war policies during his time as a senator.
One protester accused Rubio of supporting sanctions that harm children in Latin America.
“Marco Rubio sanctions are killing kids in Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela,” said the protester. Another referred to him as “Little Marco,” a term Trump used to describe the senator from the US state of Florida during the 2016 presidential campaign.