US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while expressing measured hope for progress, delivered a candid assessment of the formidable hurdles confronting the Trump administration's diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the protracted conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza during a comprehensive year-end news conference that extended beyond two hours on Friday.
In his interactions with journalists, Rubio refrained from offering any specific timelines or assurances of success regarding the ongoing peace negotiations involving Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas. He stressed that viable agreements necessitate reciprocal concessions from all involved parties, acknowledging the inherent complexities that could potentially preclude any immediate breakthroughs.
Rubio provided insights into concurrent high-level discussions taking place in Miami, where national security officials from allied nations and key US envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are engaging with Ukrainian, Egyptian, Turkish, Qatari, and Russian representatives to refine and advance the administration's evolving proposals for both conflict zones.
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Regarding the Gaza ceasefire framework, Rubio elaborated on the proposed establishment of a Board of Peace alongside an international stabilization force, noting that additional clarifications on critical aspects such as financing, operational mandates, rules of engagement, and demilitarization protocols remain essential before substantive commitments can be secured from potential contributors.
On a separate front, Rubio robustly defended the administration's heightened military posture toward Venezuela, characterising operations against suspected narco-trafficking vessels as legally grounded executive actions that do not constitute acts of war requiring congressional authorisation. He further addressed vulnerabilities in other regional ceasefires, justified reforms in foreign aid allocation to align with national interests, and confirmed continued efforts to secure a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan as part of a broader, pragmatic foreign policy agenda.
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