Can Rubio end the Ukraine war?
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Can Trump’s administration actually broker peace between Russia and Ukraine?
Donald Trump promised peace on day one.
Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled.
But 316 days into his second term, things seem to be moving in the opposite direction in Gaza and Venezuela. And the proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has just one little problem. Everyone hates it.
Decisions with implications for Europe and NATO interests need the joint support of European partners and NATO allies respectively.
To get things back on track, Trump's envoy is in Russia today to try to rescue the deal. But it's one man, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is maybe the most important player. Can Rubio make peace between Russia and Ukraine? That's coming up on Today Explained from Vox.
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This is Today Explained.
Hey, I'm John Hudson.
I'm a national security reporter with The Washington Post. Let's start with the team leading the Ukraine peace negotiations out of Washington. Who does Trump have doing it and what do we know about them?
Yeah, it's an interesting team. He's got the main person leading it, which is Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, longtime friend. Maybe one of his closest personal friends throughout his political and business evolution. He's got the Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll, who is a close longtime contact of Vice President Vance. You've got a son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and you've got Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. So there's been a lot of cooks in the kitchen, and I don't know if anybody's had a Thanksgiving experience recently with a lot of cooks in the kitchen. You've had confusion, you've had different things being directed to different people, and it's been a little bit chaotic.
And at the same time, they've probably pushed the ball closer to a deal than has happened before, but they're not getting any style points in the process.
I do want to focus on one member of the team who you talked about, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. What has been his role in this? And how should we see his lane in these Ukraine peace talks versus people like Wyckoff or Kushner or others?
Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, he's taken an increasingly prominent role. At the moment when things were looking probably the messiest earlier last month, essentially when Witkoff had his discussions with his Russian counterparts and some of his plan leaked, this 28-point plan, which a lot of Republicans and Democrats balked at as being too favorable towards Russia.
For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign and democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians. He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Actual traitor.
Steve Witkoff is supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.
That's when Trump tapped Rubio and Rubio came in. He met with the Ukrainians in Geneva and he inched the deal slightly more in favor of the Ukrainians.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Can Trump’s administration actually broker peace between Russia and Ukraine?
0:00–11:59
2
Who is on the U.S. negotiation team and what are their roles?
11:59–17:58
3
Why was Marco Rubio brought into the Ukraine peace talks and what did he change?
17:58–18:58
4
What was in the leaked 28‑point peace plan and why did it spark backlash?
18:58–26:54