From calling Putin 'thug' to demanding apology from Zelenskyy: How Rubio turned Trumpist

Since 2014, Rubio has played a key role in bringing the Ukraine issue to mainstream American politics. “If we treat our allies like that, should we really be surprised that they want to develop nukes?” Watch incoming State of Secretary Marco Rubio criticize the 2014 U.S. administration for the lack of response to Russia’s seizure of Crimea and invasion of Eastern Ukraine👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/oEGSBxoGVv — Euromaidan Press November 14, 2024 At that time, Rubio was the one, who reminded fellow senators that Ukraine had agreed in 1994 to give up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for a guarantee of its security from the US, the UK and Russia, warning that failure to protect Ukraine might make other nation re-consider nuclearisation, an idea which is still part of the current public discourse. of State Marco Rubio on Putin : “Russia is run by a gangster… an organized criminal controlling a government.” pic.twitter.com/iQ1qHxSSp6 — Voice March 1, 2025 2022: Rubio urged Biden to give full support to Ukraine Soon after Russia launched a wide-scale military campaign in Ukraine, Rubio was among the prominent American politicians to ask then-US President Joe Biden to take an aggressive stance on the matter and fully support Ukraine. https://t.co/v3nMr4ePCY — Senator Marco Rubio May 7, 2024 January 2025: Rubio started asking for concessions from Ukraine During his confirmation hearing, Trump’s pick for the position of secretary of state emphasised that Ukraine must accept “concessions” to bring about an end to the war. pic.twitter.com/m8W7sqlQ3C — Jake H March 1, 2025 When he was reminded that there was a time when he called Putin a ‘war criminal,’ Rubio said: “At this moment as secretary of state, my job working for the president is to deliver peace, to end this conflict and end this war … I think we should be very proud and happy that we have a president whose prime objective is not to get into wars but to prevent wars and to get out of wars.” The remarks made by Rubio indicated how his stance on the matter changed over the years.