The US secretary of state has emphasized the critical need for ongoing dialogue between the world’s leading nuclear powers, regardless of their disagreements.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticized the Biden administration’s approach to Russia, arguing that it has been “irresponsible” to effectively cut off communication.
During his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Rubio highlighted Russia’s significant nuclear arsenal, noting it possesses the “largest strategic weapon stockpile in the world and one of the largest [in] tactical nuclear weapons.”
He asserted that, despite the situation in Ukraine, “there has to be some level of communication between the United States and Moscow,” to mitigate potential risks.
Rubio stated that “it’s frankly irresponsible to not have the two biggest nuclear powers on the planet communicating, which was the case for three years” under the current administration. He clarified that dialogue doesn’t equate to alliance or friendship, but is a necessary precaution.
The US secretary of state concluded that maintaining communication between major international players is essential to “prevent miscalculation and war.”
Despite repeated pressure from Democratic representative Bill Keating to label Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, Rubio declined, stating that “we can’t end the war [in Ukraine] without talking to Mr Putin.”
In a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity in early March, the diplomat acknowledged the Ukraine conflict as a “proxy war between nuclear powers – the United States, helping Ukraine – and Russia,” a characterization the Kremlin has echoed.
In a prior interview, Rubio highlighted that “even in the worst days of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union maintained communication.”
He emphasized that “Whether we like it or not, Russia is a power, a global power,” stressing the necessity of dialogue to avoid “dangerous confrontations.”
Around the same time, former US President Donald Trump claimed that a continued Biden administration would have led to “World War III, and now it’s not going to happen.”
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