Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the release of American Marc Fogel from Russian captivity is a “good sign” for the U.S. and Russian President Vladimir Putin to work in cooperation to end the war in Ukraine.
Rubio joined NewsNation’s “CUOMO” on Tuesday to discuss Fogel’s return to the U.S., as he was on his way to meet the freed American.
Host Chris Cuomo asked the new State Department leader about potential that the deal struck between President Trump and Putin could be a step toward bringing an end to the nearly three-year war with Ukraine.
“I wouldn’t link the two because they’re not linked in the sense that there was some sort of understanding on Ukraine in exchange for this,” Rubio said. “What I would say about it though, is that if you can’t even get an American held under these circumstances released and the chances of working together in good faith are not none.”
“So, it’s certainly a good sign,” he added.
Rubio’s remarks come just before Fogel landed on U.S. soil and had an emotional homecoming with Trump at the White House. He expressed his gratitude to the president and the U.S. for bringing him home, and Trump expressed appreciation for the Russian authorities who agreed to release the schoolteacher, calling the terms of the deal “very fair.”
The exchange is the first deal negotiated between the current administration and the Kremlin. Trump also signaled that the deal — which Russian officials called a prisoner swap, without identifying the other person released — could be a step toward ending the war, even as Rubio argued there may not be a direct link.
“Obviously, the situation in Ukraine is complex and difficult, and it’s one [that will] require a lot of work, a lot of hard diplomacy,” Rubio said. “It’s a war the President’s made clear he wants to see end.”
“So, this is good, I mean, it’s not indicative that it’s going to make it easier to do a deal, but if you can’t get an American who shouldn’t have been there out, then the chances of doing something far more difficult are not very high,” he told Cuomo.
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