U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Moscow's aggression in Ukraine but said it was "dishonest" to claim Kyiv was capable of destroying Russia on the battlefield and returning to the pre-2014 state of affairs, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview published on Jan. 30.
The U.S. official acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin carried out "atrocities" and "horrible things" as part of his invasion of Ukraine but voiced doubts about Kyiv's prospects for a complete military victory.
"But what the dishonesty that has existed is that we somehow led people to believe that Ukraine would be able, not just to defeat Russia, but destroy (Putin), push him all the way back to what the world looked like in 2012 or 2014 before the Russians took Crimea," Rubio said on the Megyn Kelly Show.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for funneling extensive support to Ukraine and pledged to broker a swift peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow.
Echoing these sentiments, Trump's secretary of state said that the U.S. has been "fund(ing) a stalemate" in a war that "set (Ukraine) back 100 years" and called for a swift resolution.
"The energy grid is being wiped out. Someone's going to have to pay for all this reconstruction. And how many Ukrainians have left Ukraine (and are) living in other countries now? They may never return," Rubio said.
Russia has carried out a sustained missile and drone campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the full-scale war, leading to blackouts and power deficits. Over 6 million Ukrainians have fled the country after the start of the invasion.
"The nation’s future hangs in the balance in this regard," the U.S. official added. Rubio reiterated his earlier statements that "both sides of the conflict will need to make compromises" for successful negotiations.
Earlier this month, Rubio paused almost all foreign assistance flowing through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), presenting a significant challenge to various civilian programs in Ukraine that rely on U.S. support, including in the energy sector.
Kyiv and the Pentagon said this order did not affect the U.S. military support for Ukraine.
Criticizing the previous Biden administration, Rubio also suggested that the U.S.'s "chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan" in 2021 was a signal to Putin that "America was actually in decline or distracted," leading to the decision to launch the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
