Former U.S. Senator and cuurent US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and son of Cuban immigrants. In August 2015 Rubio told reporters: “Russia is governed today by a gangster. He’s basically an organized crime figure who controls a government and a large territory. There’s no other way to describe Vladimir Putin.
John Bolton, a former national security adviser for President Donald Trump, called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to resign following Trump’s tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Newsweek contacted the U.S. Department of State for comment via email outside business hours.
Why It Matters
On February 28, Trump and Zelensky met in the White House, where they discussed pursuing a ceasefire deal in the Russia-Ukraine war and U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv. While Trump has said he trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect a ceasefire, Zelensky expressed skepticism during their discussion, which ultimately erupted into a heated exchange.
Bolton’s call for Rubio to resign underscores the concern some have over Washington’s evolving relationship with Moscow.
What To Know
Speaking to MSNBC‘s Nicole Wallace on Friday about Trump’s comments, Bolton said, “This is the point, when somebody does 180 degrees from understanding American allies to backing America’s adversaries, that you resign.”
He then called on Rubio and Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, to resign, adding: “This is really the time to do it. If they don’t get out now, I think their reputations will suffer for a long, long time, and that would be sad because their record in believing in a strong American national security policy is very good up until now.”
In August 2015, while serving as a senator and running for president, Rubio told reporters: “Russia is governed today by a gangster. He’s basically an organized crime figure who controls a government and a large territory. There’s no other way to describe Vladimir Putin.”
After Friday’s meeting between Trump and Zelensky, the Ukrainian president was asked to leave the White House, with Trump later writing on social media, “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the White House meeting with Ukranian pressdient Zelensky which turned into a shouting match in front of world media . A&P and Reuters were not allowed to attend but Russia’s TASS was there
Social media users have highlighted Rubio’s role in the peace talks, commenting on his body language during Trump’s conversation with Zelensky. Images of Rubio slouching with his hands clasped and appearing stone-faced quickly circulated online, with some commentators saying he appeared “embarrassed.”
In an interview with CNN after the meeting, Rubio criticized Zelensky, saying, “That wasn’t supposed to be this way, but that’s the path he chose, and I think, frankly, sends his country backwards in regards to achieving peace, which is what President Trump wants at the end of the day.”
He added that the Ukrainian president should apologize for “turning this thing into the fiasco” that it became and “wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did.”
NewsWeek