Marco Rubio poised to shape foreign policy as Secretary of State
Marco Rubio is set to become the Secretary of State in Donald Trump's second administration. The 53-year-old Rubio has Cuban roots, and the "Financial Times" describes him as a "China hawk." Rubio also spoke about ending the war in Ukraine.
Rubio, the Vice Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, was a major rival and outspoken critic of Donald Trump during the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2016 election. However, he has since moved considerably closer to Trump, advising him on various matters, including the debate with Joe Biden in 2020. This year, he was among those considered for the vice-presidential candidacy.
Initially, the politician with Cuban roots was one of the chief "hawks" on foreign policy matters, but over time, his views have evolved toward those expressed by Trump. Despite his initial support for Ukraine, during the prolonged dispute over an aid package for Kyiv, Rubio was one of the bill's opponents, demanding strict immigration reforms.
When asked at the time about Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's criticism of this stance, he replied that America itself is a victim of "invasion" and needs to address it first.
In 2022, Rubio, along with two other senators, introduced a bill that provides for sanctions against China, which, after the Russian invasion, became one of the main importers of Russian oil.
"Any entity, including Chinese state-run companies, helping them in that effort should face serious consequences," he stated in a statement quoted by Bloomberg.
The war in Ukraine and the stalemate
Rubio emphasized that while he supports providing aid to Ukraine, the primary focus must be assisting America first. He pointed out that the U.S. cannot effectively support allies if it needs to continue allocating increasing resources to managing the presence of eight million undocumented individuals within its borders.
In an interview with NBC shortly after Trump's electoral victory, Rubio assessed that despite the brave resistance of Ukrainians, America should not finance a "stalemated war," and the conflict should be concluded.
"You don't have to be a fan of Vladimir Putin to want the war to end," said the senator.
Earlier, he announced that Trump would want to ensure that Ukraine is in a good negotiating position.
If the reports are confirmed, Rubio will be another politician from Florida playing an important role in the new Trump administration. Earlier, media reported that Congressman Michael Waltz, ideologically close to Rubio, will become the U.S. National Security Advisor. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik from New York, currently the President of the Republican Club in the House of Representatives, is set to become the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
