Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity Wednesday night, defending President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict and issuing a stern warning to Hamas following Trump’s “last warning” to release hostages in Gaza. Rubio framed both situations as testaments to Trump’s unique ability to broker peace, while slamming critics and reaffirming the administration’s resolve.
On Ukraine, Rubio recounted a tumultuous meeting last Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which he said was derailed by Zelenskyy’s resistance to Trump’s peace plan.
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“It’s been very clear from the beginning that President Trump views this as a protracted, stalemated conflict … a proxy war between nuclear powers,” Rubio said, criticizing the prior U.S. strategy of endless aid as “not a strategy.” He noted Russia’s willingness to negotiate after a meeting two weeks ago, urging Ukraine to follow suit. “Only President Trump can make that possible,” he asserted, suggesting a reset could save “billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.”
Rubio sidestepped specifics on a potential deal—rumored to involve mineral rights, a ceasefire, and a final settlement—saying, “I’m not going to pre-negotiate it.” He emphasized the “hard work of diplomacy” needed to bridge Russian and Ukrainian demands, a process he said Trump alone could lead. “We should be cheering that on,” he added, decrying media and international skepticism as misplaced.
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The conversation shifted to Trump’s fiery Truth Social post earlier Wednesday, demanding Hamas release all hostages and return victims’ bodies or face annihilation. “I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job,” Trump wrote, calling Hamas “sick and twisted.” Rubio endorsed the threat, noting Trump’s frustration after meeting freed hostages. “He’s lost his patience with it … These are monsters. It needs to stop,” he said, warning Hamas to heed Trump’s words: “If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it.”
Rubio also took a swipe at Democrats’ behavior during Trump’s Tuesday address to Congress, where some refused to applaud announcements like a cancer survivor’s Secret Service honor. “It was really surprising and petty,” he said. “The President talked about ending a war yesterday, and instead the only cheers we heard from one side … was cheers for endless war.” As a “diplomat now,” Rubio tempered his critique but called it a poor look for television audiences.
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Hannity praised Rubio’s new role, joking, “I kind of liked you as my senator in Florida,” to which Rubio laughed, “You’re still in good hands.”
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