During a heated exchange on ABC’s This Week, Senator Marco Rubio confronted host George Stephanopoulos over President Donald Trump’s decision to abruptly end a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The discussion centered on Trump’s approach to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Stephanopoulos questioned Rubio about calling Russian President Vladimir Putin names while criticizing Zelensky, prompting Rubio to defend the administration’s efforts to negotiate peace. ‘We’ve spent three years calling Vladimir Putin names!’ Rubio exclaimed. ‘The point now is getting the Russians to the negotiating table.’
When asked about past agreements broken by Putin, Rubio shifted focus to future negotiations, emphasizing the need for dialogue despite historical distrust. ‘Can we sit with them and figure out their demands?’ he pressed.
Stephanopoulos highlighted Zelensky’s concerns about security guarantees for Ukraine, but Rubio dismissed revisiting history, insisting on moving forward. ‘Our goal is getting them to negotiate,’ he repeated.
The tension escalated when Stephanopolous referenced Senator Lisa Murkowski’s criticism of the administration’s approach. Rubio interrupted, shouting, ‘Are we arming the Russians? Are we providing economic assistance to the Russians?’
Rubio accused the administration of abandoning allies and appeasing Putin, a threat to democracy and US interests. The outburst underscored growing divisions within the Republican Party over Trump’s foreign policy decisions.