Ukrainian minister backs ‘peace through strength’ in message to US’s Rubio

(Reuters) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday said he hoped Marco Rubio, the nominee for U.S. secretary of state, would pursue a policy of “peace through strength” amid questions of how the new administration will deal with the war in Ukraine.

“Congratulations to @MarcoRubio on his nomination to become the 72nd U.S. Secretary of State,” Sybiha wrote on X.

“I look forward to working together, deepening the mutually beneficial Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, and advancing peace through strength in Ukraine and around the world.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy referred to “peace through strength” in congratulating Donald Trump on his election and used the term when addressing European leaders and ruling out concessions to Moscow in the more than 2-1/2-year-old war.

Zelenskiy has presented a “victory plan” to allies which focuses on providing Kyiv with the means to defend itself and calls for an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, long denounced by Russia as unacceptable.

Trump said on Wednesday he was nominating Rubio, a member of the Senate’s foreign relations and intelligence committees.

Rubio has in the past advocated a more assertive U.S. foreign policy with respect to America’s geopolitical foes, but has recently aligned his views more closely with those of Trump’s “America First” approach.

In April, Rubio was one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a big military aid package to help Ukraine resist Russia and support other U.S. partners.

In recent interviews, he has said that Ukraine should seek a negotiated settlement rather than focus on regaining territory seized by Russian troops.

Trump has been critical of Democratic President Joe Biden’s continuing military assistance for Ukraine.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)