5 hours ago
3
Rubio: Trump wants Putin gathering "as soon arsenic feasible"
The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that volition aerial connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected May 18, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And joining america present is Secretary of State Marco Rubio from Rome. Mr. Secretary, you've had a precise engaged week. I cognize you person been astatine the Vatican, and they person offered to big a nonstop gathering betwixt Ukraine and Russia. Given that Vladimir Putin was a nary amusement astatine the talks helium called for successful Istanbul this past week, is determination crushed to judge that helium volition instrumentality up Pope Leo connected the offer?
SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO: Well, I deliberation if you saw- again, I'm not a spokesperson for the Kremlin, but if you saw their statements, I judge yesterday, wherever they said that they would beryllium unfastened to specified a gathering nether the close conditions. So we'll hold and spot if that's possible. Obviously, the Vatican has made a precise generous connection to big anything, by the way, not conscionable a gathering betwixt Zelenskyy and Putin, but immoderate meeting, including astatine a method level, you know, immoderate meetings that- that request to beryllium hosted, they- they've expressed a willingness to bash so. So it's a precise generous connection that whitethorn beryllium taken up on. I mean, it would beryllium a tract that each parties would consciousness comfortable. So hopefully we'll get to that signifier where- wherever talks are happening connected a regular ground and that the Vatican volition person the accidental to beryllium 1 of the options.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The Russian Foreign Ministry is saying that you initiated a telephone to your Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, connected Saturday. What was that about? Are you talking astir lining up that face-to-face gathering betwixt President Putin and President Trump?
SEC. RUBIO: Well, we talked astir a assortment of things. We did speech about- I wanted to get his readout connected his presumption of however the talks went yesterday. There- they were not a implicit discarded of time. For example, determination were 1,000 prisoners that are going to beryllium exchanged, and that, from a humanitarian standpoint, is precise positive. He explained to maine that they are going to beryllium pre- preparing a papers outlining their requirements for a cease-fire that would past pb to broader negotiations. So obviously, the Ukrainian broadside is going to beryllium moving connected their ain proposal, and hopefully that volition beryllium forthcoming soon. And if that does happen, and the connection that comes guardant from the Russian broadside and- and for that matter, from the Ukrainian side, are proposals that are superior and viable, past there's been existent progress, and we tin enactment disconnected of that. So we'll person to hold and see. But helium wanted maine to know, and helium communicated successful our call, that they are- their broadside volition beryllium moving connected a bid of ideas and requirements that they would person successful bid to determination guardant with a cease-fire and further negotiations. So we'll await that, and hopefully it's one- it's a papers that is adjacent capable to what the Ukrainians privation to beryllium capable to get to that constituent and possibly enactment retired those differences.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You've said repeatedly it's conscionable a substance of days, though, successful presumption of the waning patience that the U.S. has for this diplomacy to succeed. So are- are they conscionable tapping you along, arsenic President Trump has said? Are they conscionable seeking to talk- Are they conscionable seeking to proceed to speech to bargain time?
SEC. RUBIO: Well, that's what we're testing. And that's what we'll know. Look, astatine the extremity of the time what I've said, and it's happening now, we're nary longer flying each implicit the satellite trying to acceptable up meetings. We're responding to meetings that are acceptable up and we're willing- we ever said we're consenting to bash immoderate it takes to bring them unneurotic if the opportunities contiguous themselves. So I deliberation your question is, are they tapping america along? Well, that's what we're trying to find out. We'll find retired beauteous soon. They met last- yesterday oregon the time earlier successful Turkey. From that they agreed they're going to speech insubstantial connected ideas that get to a cease-fire. If those papers person ideas connected them that are realistic and rational, past I deliberation we cognize we've made progress. If those papers, connected the different hand, person requirements successful them that we cognize are unrealistic, past we'll person a antithetic assessment. So, we're going to effort to find that out. And there's a operation here. On the 1 hand, we're trying to execute bid and extremity a precise bloody, costly and destructive war. So there's immoderate constituent of patience that is required. On the different hand, we don't person clip to waste. There are a batch of different things happening successful the satellite that we besides request to beryllium paying attraction to. So we don't privation to beryllium progressive successful this process of conscionable endless talks, determination has to beryllium immoderate progress, immoderate question forward. And if astatine the extremity of this, successful the adjacent fewer days, we get a papers produced by some sides, and it shows that some sides are being- making concessions and being realistic and rational successful their approach, past I deliberation we tin consciousness bully astir continuing to stay engaged. If, connected the different hand, what we spot is not precise productive, possibly we'll person a antithetic assessment. I besides hold that ultimately, 1 of the things that could assistance interruption this log jam, possibly the lone happening that can, is simply a direct- nonstop speech betwixt President Trump and Vladimir Putin. And he's already openly expressed a tendency and a content that that needs to happen, and- and hopefully that'll beryllium worked retired soon arsenic well.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You're readying connected that?
SEC. RUBIO: Well, I don't know. We're- we're surely made the offer. The president's made that connection already publicly. The mechanics of mounting that benignant of gathering up would necessitate a small spot of work, truthful I can't accidental that's being planned arsenic we talk successful presumption of picking a tract and a date. But the president wants to bash it. He wants to bash it arsenic soon as- arsenic feasible. I deliberation the Russian broadside has besides expressed a willingness to bash it. And so, present it's conscionable a question of bringing them- bringing everyone together, and figuring retired wherever and erstwhile and that gathering volition hap and what it volition beryllium about.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, I- I privation to determination connected to different topics. But lastly, your- your Senate- erstwhile legislature colleague, Lindsey Graham, was adjacent to you successful that gathering with the Ukrainian overseas minister. He has a- helium has a veto-proof bulk connected this measure to enactment sanctions connected Russia. How rapidly bash you privation the enactment for much sanctions connected Russia? Or are you asking him to wait?
SEC. RUBIO: No, we're not- look, the Senate is going to act, ultimately. I mean, I deliberation successful the past, we've act- asked to springiness america a small clip to spot if we tin marque immoderate advancement connected our talks. But we've besides been beauteous wide with the Russian broadside for weeks now, going backmost six oregon 7 weeks. We've been communicating to the Russian broadside that this effort was- was being undertaken. That we anticipated that erstwhile each was said and done, it would person adjacent to 80 cosponsors successful the Senate, and I ideate a comparable percent of enactment successful the House, that that was an effort we couldn't halt and don't control, that ultimately, Congress and peculiarly the Republicans successful the House and Senate, person tried to springiness the president abstraction and clip to negociate thing here. But we've- we've advised the Russians repeatedly present for astir 2 months that this was coming if nary advancement was made. So I deliberation that's conscionable coming to fruition now. And it's 1 of the- 1 of the things that I confirmed, again, being with Lindsey Graham this week successful Turkey, is they're present up to 77. He thinks they could get adjacent to 80 oregon more. And that's just- that's conscionable a fact, and thing we've told the Russians astir for weeks was coming.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I privation to determination connected to different portion of the world. You've been precise progressive successful the administration's efforts to ace down connected this Venezuelan gang, TdA, that has been designated arsenic a panic radical by the U.S. Do you judge the quality community's appraisal that the Venezuelan pack is not a proxy unit of the Maduro government? That was the National Intelligence Council assessment.
SEC. RUBIO: Yeah, that's their assessment. They're wrong. In fact, the FBI agrees with maine that they are. We- we- the FBI agrees that not lone is Tren de Aragua exported by the Venezuelan regime, but successful fact, if you spell backmost and spot a Tren de Aragua member, each the grounds is there, and it's increasing each day, was really contracted to execution an absorption member, I believe, successful Chile a fewer months ago. So 1 of the warnings retired determination by the FBI is not simply that Tren de Aragua are- are a violent organization, but 1 that has already been operationalized, to execution a- to execution a- an- an absorption subordinate successful different country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But that's a antithetic happening than being a proxy unit controlled by the Maduro government. Part of this is astatine the bosom of the ineligible arguments the medication is having implicit its quality to proceed to deport suspected pack members. That's wherefore this appraisal is truthful key. You wholly cull that intelligence--
SEC. RUBIO: There- there--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --community finding?
SEC. RUBIO: Yeah, I hold 100 percent with the FBI's finding. This is simply a situation pack that the Venezuelan authorities has actively encouraged to permission the country. A situation pack that, successful immoderate cases, they've been successful cooperation- and by the way, Tren de Aragua members that person been returned to Venezuela connected immoderate of these planes that person gone backmost person been greeted similar heroes astatine the airport. So we person nary doubt, I person nary uncertainty and the FBI has made clear, I mean, this is the pack that they hired successful bid to- to execution an absorption subordinate successful different country. So they- they- there's nary uncertainty successful our mind, and successful my mind, and successful the FBI's appraisal that this is simply a radical that the authorities successful Venezuela uses, not conscionable to effort to destabilize the United States, but to task power, similar they did by murdering a subordinate of the absorption successful Chile.
MARGARET BRENNAN: South Africa's president is traveling to the United States this week to conscionable with President Trump. The medication has prioritized bringing immoderate achromatic South Africans, Afrikaners, to the United States, contempt the accrued restrictions connected refugees. President Trump claims there's a genocide underway successful South Africa. That's a ineligible determination, the State Department would marque it. Are you trying to find that now?
SEC. RUBIO: I would find that these radical are having their properties taken from them. You can- they tin telephone it immoderate they want, but these are radical that, connected the ground of their race, are having their properties taken distant from them, and their lives being threatened and, successful immoderate cases, killed. These are radical that applied and made these claims successful their applications and question to travel to the United States successful hunt of- of refuge. I- we've often been lectured by radical each implicit the spot astir however the United States needs to proceed to beryllium a beacon for those who are oppressed abroad. Well, here's an illustration wherever we're doing that. So I don't recognize wherefore radical are criticizing it. I deliberation radical should beryllium celebrating it, and I deliberation radical should beryllium supporting it--
(CROSSTALK)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well is determination evidence--
SEC. RUBIO: If successful information arsenic galore claim, they are successful favor--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --of a genocide that you have?
(END CROSSTALK)
SEC. RUBIO: I deliberation there's evidence, absolutely, that radical person been murdered, that radical person been forcibly removed from their properties, some by the government, successful immoderate cases due to the fact that of a instrumentality they passed, but besides due to the fact that of autarkic groups encouraged by governmental parties wrong of South- wrong of South Africa. So, listen, to determination present from fractional a satellite distant and permission down the lone homeland you've ever known, that's not thing radical bash lightly--
MARGARET BRENNAN: No.
SEC. RUBIO: --especially radical who person spent generations farming their onshore and processing their property. That's not thing that you instrumentality lightly and do. These radical are doing it for a reason. So we invited them to the United States, and I deliberation determination whitethorn beryllium much coming soon.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We volition basal by to spot if that determination of genocide is made. I privation to inquire you astir the Middle East. The president says helium wants to extremity wars, but Israel's premier curate has said helium is expanding this crushed cognition wrong of Gaza, the IDF says is to prehend strategical areas. Does the U.S. afloat enactment expanding this war?
SEC. RUBIO: We grow the demolition of Hamas, the ending of Hamas. We enactment a aboriginal for the radical of Gaza that is escaped of Hamas and afloat of opportunity. That's what we support. And this is simply a radical that came crossed connected October 7 and carried retired 1 of the astir vile bid of attacks, kidnappings, rapes, murders and hostage taking that we've ever seen. That's what we support. Now that said, we besides enactment an extremity of the conflict, a cease-fire. We don't privation radical evidently suffering arsenic they have, and we blasted Hamas for that, but nonetheless, they're suffering. And truthful we are actively engaged, adjacent arsenic I talk to you now, we are actively engaged successful trying to fig retired if determination is simply a mode to get much hostages retired done immoderate cease-fire benignant mechanism. We're not going to bash thing to undermine Israel and its security, but by the aforesaid token, if determination is simply a anticipation present to find a mode guardant that frees much hostages, including those who are alive, but besides the bodies to their relatives, and perchance bring astir an extremity to this warfare successful a mode that puts the radical of Gaza connected a pathway of bid and prosperity and being escaped of Hamas, we're going to research that. We deliberation we've made immoderate progress, but there's much enactment to beryllium done. Ambassador Witkoff is moving connected that connected an hourly basis. It's thing we're each precise focused connected and proceed to beryllium precise supportive of. And I anticipation we'll person bully quality soon successful that regard, but I deliberation immoderate impediments remain.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you asking Israel to dilatory down this subject push? And the Qatari premier curate told Fox News that determination was a woody being enactment unneurotic for each hostages, oregon galore hostages, to beryllium released aft Edan Alexander, that American-Israeli was released recently, but past the Israeli subject bombed a hospital, sidesplitting 70 civilians, and everything went sideways. Is that your knowing of what happened--
SEC. RUBIO: Well, I would accidental that--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --it was this deficiency of attraction of collateral damage?
SEC. RUBIO: No, I- the mode I would qualify it is that this warfare could extremity immediately. And Israel's made that clear, it tin extremity instantly if Hamas surrenders and gives up their weapons and demilitarizes and releases each the hostages, including the deceased ones. If they did that, this struggle would end. That's been existent from the precise beginning. It's been existent for months now. They're the ones that person chosen not to judge that offer. That said, we proceed to enactment and bash everything we tin done diplomatic channels and backstage means to bring astir an extremity to this struggle successful a mode that ends Hamas and provides the radical of Gaza the accidental astatine a prosperous and peaceful aboriginal that besides ensures Israel's security. So we're moving connected that, and we've ne'er stopped moving connected that. We've ne'er stopped taking efforts to marque that possible. And that continues. Even arsenic I talk to you now, determination are radical moving connected that. So we're going to proceed to bash that and that's the result we privation to see. And hopefully, the sooner the better.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the president has said Prime Minister Netanyahu didn't privation to extremity the war. So the views are quite--
SEC. RUBIO: Well, I deliberation what the--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --in contrast.
SEC. RUBIO: Yeah- no- what the president's- no, no. I deliberation what the president is saying is helium doesn't privation to extremity the warfare until Hamas is defeated. This is simply a radical that is simply a threat- if an ember survives, it volition spark again into a fire. And that is the presumption of- determination is nary future. There tin beryllium nary peaceful and prosperous Gaza arsenic agelong arsenic Hamas governs it by regularisation of arms. And that's a- that's a cardinal truth. Now that doesn't mean that determination isn't immoderate mode that we tin execute that done a cease-fire and immoderate bid mechanism, and that's what we're trying to execute here. Ending Hamas, ending its governance of Gaza, ending the conflict, freeing each of the hostages, including the bodies of those who person passed distant and been killed and murdered by the Hamas terrorists, and past opening the enactment of a aboriginal for Gaza and besides of ensuring Israel's security. That's ever been our goal. That remains our goal, and that's what we proceed to beryllium focused on. But successful the lack of that specified agreement, we expect that, you know, Israel volition proceed guardant with their operations. But that doesn't mean we stopped moving connected trying to execute a peaceful result that besides protects Israel's information and ends Hamas's governance of Gaza, truthful that Gaza tin person a escaped and prosperous aboriginal moving forward. That's what the president wants to spot arsenic the extremity end here. That is the extremity goal, and that's what we're moving connected done each means astatine our disposal.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You person said that Iran is, successful your view, a threshold atomic state, and we're astatine a captious moment. The U.S. and Iran are talking again. Can you clarify what the U.S. argumentation is here? Is the bottommost enactment that Iran cannot enrich immoderate uranium, adjacent if it is astatine debased levels for civilian purposes? Do they request to afloat dismantle the program?
SEC. RUBIO: Well, look, if you're capable to enrich astatine immoderate level you've present are fundamentally capable to enrich astatine weapons people precise quickly. I mean, that's conscionable a cardinal fact, and everyone knows it, and that was the occupation with the Obama deal. But the extremity end present is simple, Iran tin ne'er person a atomic weapon. And the president's preference, due to the fact that helium doesn't similar war, the president's penchant is to execute that done a peaceful negotiation. In fact, the president's penchant is not- not lone that Iran not prosecute atomic weapons, but that Iran beryllium a rich, peaceful and prosperous state wherever its radical tin beryllium happy. He wants them to person a amended future. He has said this, he's a builder, not a bomber. That's what helium views himself as, and that's what helium is. He's a president that wants peace, and truthful he's offered that route, and that's 1 we anticipation the Iranians volition take. But he's been precise clear, Iran is ne'er going to person the capability. They're ne'er going to person a atomic weapon. It's not going to happen. And we anticipation that that is achieved, that result is achieved done peaceful, diplomatic means, and that's what we're engaged on. We're not going to negociate it successful the media, due to the fact that it makes it hard to get an outcome. But that is the eventual extremity here, is to person an Iran that does not person a atomic limb oregon the quality to endanger its neighbors, peculiarly Israel.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Secretary, I cognize you person a engaged schedule. Thank you for your clip this morning.
SEC. RUBIO: Thank you.
- In:
- Marco Rubio
- Politics
English (US) ·