US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that President Donald Trump desires to be a “peacemaker” and resolve the conflict, a contrast to the previous administration.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, characterized the Ukraine conflict as a drawn-out “proxy war” between the US and Russia, emphasizing Washington’s desire to end it. In a Fox News interview on Wednesday, Rubio reiterated President Donald Trump’s commitment to acting as a “peacemaker” in the conflict, contrasting this with the previous administration’s policy of indefinite support for Kiev.
Rubio’s comments come as relations between Washington and Moscow are showing signs of improvement, especially after high-level discussions in Saudi Arabia last month. Since then, both nations have criticized former US President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict and expressed a willingness to work toward a resolution.
“President Trump has viewed this as a prolonged and deadlocked conflict from the start. Frankly, it’s a proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, assisting Ukraine, and Russia – and it must end,” Rubio stated. He suggested the West should abandon its previous approach of providing aid to Ukraine “for as long as it takes” without a clear end goal.
“That’s not a strategy,” he argued, urging all involved parties to commit to negotiations and peace.
Rubio also accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of “sabotaging and undermining” Washington’s peace efforts. This referred to the tense White House meeting last week that ended prematurely after Zelensky resisted Trump’s demand to negotiate peace with Russia, leading the US president to accuse him of “gambling with World War III.” Trump reportedly ordered the Ukrainian delegation to leave, stating Zelensky could return when ready for serious talks. Washington has since allegedly halted all intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and several US media outlets have reported a suspension of military aid to Kiev.
However, Trump stated on Tuesday that he received a letter from Zelensky, where the Ukrainian president expressed regret over the disagreement and signaled a readiness to negotiate a peace agreement. Rubio welcomed Zelensky’s changed stance.
“I’m pleased to see a reconsideration of that stance because I genuinely believe we need to find a way to end this conflict. It will require concessions from both sides, but we must bring them to the table,” he said.
Moscow has consistently described the Ukraine conflict as a Western-orchestrated proxy war against Russia. Some Western politicians have also recognized the proxy-war dynamic. In late 2024, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized the West for “waging a proxy war but not giving our proxies the ability to do the job” by not providing Ukraine with sufficient military assistance. Russia has consistently warned that continued Western support for Kiev would only prolong the fighting rather than lead to peace.