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Plane malfunction forces State Secretary Rubio to return to Washington while en route to Munich Security Conference

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Plane malfunction forces State Secretary Rubio to return to Washington while en route to Munich Security Conference
U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Jan. 15, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A U.S. Air Force plane carrying U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch was forced to return to Washington due to a technical malfunction, the Associated Press reported on Feb. 14.  

Rubio and Risch were en route to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 14.

The aircraft, a C-32 converted Boeing 757, experienced a problem with the cockpit windshield about 90 minutes after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews, prompting an emergency return to the base.  

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed the incident, saying Rubio "intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft."  

Zelensky will lead Ukraine's delegation at the conference, where U.S. President Donald Trump's team is expected to outline its diplomatic approach to ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

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Tim Zadorozhnyy

News Editor

Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.

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