Thread by @Mylovanov

Rubio: Ukraine is a proxy war, and we asked Ukraine not to sabotage diplomacy. Zelensky tried to undermine Trump. Russia is ready to talk - Ukraine wasn’t. That changed when the U.S. applied pressure.

1/

Rubio: Zelensky challenged Trump’s push for diplomacy, undermining the plan. That led to the dustup.

Now, there’s a shift. Both sides need to make concessions. Ukraine and Russia must come to the table. Only Trump can make that happen. 2/

Rubio: We asked Russia - are you interested in ending the war. Because there can’t be a change in our relationship if the war doesn’t stop. They said yes.

But Ukraine signaled no interest in peace. Hopefully, that’s changed. Now, we’ll see if a deal is possible. 3/

Rubio: Trump wants to be a peacemaker. Ending wars should be a good thing.

But when Trump pushes for peace, somehow it’s a problem.

This war has cost billions, taken hundreds of thousands of lives, and left destruction that will take generations to fix. 4/

Rubio: No prenegotiations—Ukraine and Russia will have their demands. Diplomacy must bridge the gap.

Every war that ended in a truce took hard diplomacy. This is no different. The question is: will both sides engage? 5/

Rubio: Peace talks only work if both sides engage. Russia won’t be easy, but we need them at the table.

Ukraine resisted talks before—now that’s changed. If true, there’s an opening. Ending this war benefits Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., and our allies. 6/