Republican Senator Marco Rubio has acknowledged that Ukraine will not achieve victory over Russia, saying he has long known Kiev would not prevail but avoided the issue in public. The lawmaker nonetheless called for additional US military support, hoping to create “leverage” for future peace talks.
Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Rubio said that while Russian forces would not seize “all of Ukraine,” Kiev would fail to reach its stated goals on the battlefield, which include reclaiming all territory lost to Moscow.
“I’m just being honest, and in the past I have tried not to talk about this publicly because I thought it would undermine the leverage that Ukraine had, but now it’s the reality. Neither side is going to be able to achieve victory as defined in the most idealistic terms,” said Rubio, who serves as vice chair on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
However, despite admitting Ukraine’s bleak prospects in the war, Rubio said Washington must continue to provide military support, hoping the arms would help Kiev’s position at the negotiating table later.
US aid to Ukraine has virtually ground to a halt in recent months, as lawmakers battle over legislation to supply $60 billion in weapons to Kiev, as well as billions for Israel and other US allies. While the Senate passed its own version of the bill last month, the Republican-controlled House has refused to take up the measure unless Democrats agree to major reforms to US immigration policy.
Rubio has argued much the same, saying that “we should help Ukraine, but only after we help America through our border.”
Though some top Republican senators have called to keep the arms flowing for ”as long as it takes” – among them outgoing GOP leader Mitch McConnell – other party members have begun to shift focus to a negotiated settlement.
“It looks like it could go on for a long, long time. That looks like a line that would take an immense amount of money and time to move off of where it is,” Sen. Mike Braun told Politico. Sen. JD Vance similarly predicted a permanent “stalemate” even with US support.
That stance differs sharply with the White House, which has repeatedly urged Congress to pass the mammoth aid bill. President Joe Biden continues to voice support for Kiev’s maximalist war aims and has pledged indefinite US support, despite major setbacks for Ukrainian forces since their lackluster counteroffensive last summer.
