US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied suggestions by Senate Democrats that Vladimir Putin is "playing with time" and delaying progress in negotiations with Ukraine. Rubio gave his first testimony as Secretary of State before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, writes A2 CNN. Rubio gave his testimony in front of some of his former Senate colleagues, who regretted voting to confirm him because, according to them, Rubio did not stand up to Trump.
In his speech, Rubio said that Russia wants something it doesn't have, while Ukraine wants something it can't take militarily. "On Ukraine, here's what we can agree on. There is no military solution to this conflict. It has to be resolved through a negotiated settlement. The main challenge we have in Ukraine is this: Russia wants something it doesn't have, and Ukraine wants something it can't take militarily. That has been a crucial challenge," he said.
Democratic senators have been furious that the Russian president is playing Trump “like a violin.” According to New Hampshire Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Putin is trying to buy time by stalling negotiations while urging the administration to continue supporting Ukraine and putting pressure on Russia. But Rubio says that’s not true.
"In fact, if it's clear that the Russians are not interested in a peace deal and they just want to keep fighting the war, it could very well come to that point. The president has done that in the past. Our belief, the president's belief, is that he doesn't do that. We'll see, they should do that," Rubio said.
Rubio argued that the administration is continuing to militarily support Ukraine and said it has not lifted any sanctions on Russia. (A2 Televizion)
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