Rubio says ‘there’s no way’ Russia takes all of Ukraine

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) on Sunday offered his predictions for how the Russia-Ukraine war will play out, saying that neither side will be able to “achieve victory defined in the most idealistic terms.” No,” he claimed.

When asked by “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream how much “pressure” the U.S. and other international leaders need to put on Russia and Ukraine to find a solution, Rubio said: “We’re not going to set the parameters for what that looks like,” he said. . It’s not our place to do that. It’s too early to do that. ”

“What I know is that it is impossible for the Russian Federation to occupy Ukraine, all of Ukraine, half of Ukraine. [Russian President Vladimir] “President Putin’s goal from the beginning was to split it in half…at least for half the country, including Kiev, that will never happen,” said Rubio, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committee. continued.

But Rubio said it was important to look at the “reality” of Ukraine’s size and capabilities compared to Russia.

“The reality is that Ukraine is smaller than Russia in terms of size, ability to bring scale, coercive power, conscription ability. I’m just being honest,” he said. “As you know, I have always tried not to talk about this publicly because I thought it would undermine Ukraine’s influence, but now it is true.”

The war between Russia and Ukraine passed the two-year milestone late last month, but there appears to be no room for concessions on either side. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that losing a war with Russia would be as tragic as death.

“Neither team will be able to achieve a victory that would be defined in the most ideal terms,” ​​Rubio said. “The question then becomes, if there is indeed a negotiated settlement, who will take the lead? Will it be Putin or will it be Ukraine? When the time comes for such a dialogue to take place, I want Ukraine to have maximum influence.”

The Florida Republican claimed that Putin wants Ukraine to become “basically a satellite state” like Belarus, in which case the country would be forced to “remain neutral.”

U.S. aid to Ukraine has remained stalled for nearly a year, with growing divisions among lawmakers as Congress struggles to agree on more funding for the Eastern European nation. Mr. Rubio, along with most members of the Republican conference, voted last month against a bipartisan border security deal that would also have lifted aid to the country.

Last month, Rubio also voted against a $95 billion emergency defense bill that included about $60 billion in aid to Ukraine. The deal passes the Senate and goes to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) faces pressure to bring it to the floor. Johnson has indicated he will not consider the bill because it lacks the border security provisions that House Republicans have demanded in recent months.

Rubio on Sunday reiterated his assertion that he believes the United States should help Ukraine, but only after further steps are taken at the U.S. southern border.