If Donald Trump is elected president, his administration would end the Russia-Ukraine war "with a negotiated settlement," Sen. Marco Rubio told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, criticizing the Biden administration for not defining "what victory means in Ukraine."
The Florida Republican, when asked if he is concerned that Trump won't state that he wants Kyiv to win the war even though Iran is supplying Moscow with weapons, said, "Unfortunately, the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement. And I want and we want — and I believe Donald Trump wants — for Ukraine to have more leverage in that negotiation."
When further pushed if he is concerned about the message that Trump sends to the leaders of Russia and Iran with this stance, Rubio stressed that finding a solution is "not going to be easy to do, but at least there's a defined goal. The Biden administration has not defined what victory means in Ukraine. They have not defined, 'This is what victory looks like.'"
Rubio continued, "We hope that when that time comes, there is more leverage on the Ukrainian side than on the Russian side. That really is the goal here, in my mind. And I think that's what Donald Trump is trying to say."
Vice President Kamala Harris has criticized Trump's position, saying that there are "some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations," emphasizing that "they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable," according to NBC News.
When asked about that, Rubio told "Meet the Press" that "what the deal looks like will be up to the parties when they negotiate it," adding that he "would be comfortable with a deal that ends these hostilities and that I think is favorable to Ukraine, meaning that they have their own sovereignty, that they don't become a satellite state or a puppet state that is constantly held hostage."