Rubio Signals Labeling Putin War Criminal Would Hurt Peace Talks
Marco Rubio testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesAmerica’s top diplomat signaled that accusing Russia’s President Vladimir Putin of war crimes in Ukraine could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“We can’t end the war without talking to Mr. Putin,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, when asked three times if the Russian leader is a war criminal.