Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday reportedly brushed aside media criticism of President Donald J. Trump’s cordial greeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin during peace talks in Anchorage, Alaska, calling the controversy a distraction from the larger goal of ending the war in Ukraine.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” Rubio directly challenged host Martha Raddatz, who pressed him on whether Trump’s handshake and red-carpet welcome for Putin signaled weakness on the world stage. “Critics of President Trump are always gonna find something to criticize, I don’t even pay attention to it anymore,” Rubio said.
He argued that the optics of the summit were less important than the substance: “You’re not going to have a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, you’re not going to end a war between Russia and Ukraine without dealing with Putin. That’s just common sense, I shouldn’t even have to say it.”
The summit, which lasted three hours and concluded with a joint press conference, marked the most direct American effort yet to broker an end to the bloody conflict.
Upon arrival, Trump greeted Putin on an L-shaped red carpet before the two leaders entered a vehicle together. While no agreement was finalized, Trump later told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he believed a peace deal could be reached “in the near future.”
The scene, however, drew sharp rebukes from the corporate press. CNN’s Abby Phillip said the red carpet “sent the wrong message to Ukraine,” while ABC anchors David Muir and Raddatz described it as “a standing ovation” for Putin. “It’s hard to believe that this is not what Vladimir Putin at least would want at this moment to be welcomed on American soil,” Muir said. “Exactly, David,” Raddatz replied. “And with that red carpet rolled out.”
Rubio dismissed such commentary as partisan nitpicking. “When I hear people say that, ‘oh, it elevates him.’ Well, all we do is talk about Putin all the time! All the media’s done is talk about Putin all the time for last four, five years,” he said. “That doesn’t mean he’s right about the war. That doesn’t mean he’s justified about the war. Put all that aside. It means you’re not going to have a peace agreement … without dealing with Putin.”
Trump has made Ukraine a central issue since returning to office, insisting that peace talks should have begun long before. In May, he announced negotiations would start after a two-hour call with Putin. When Moscow hesitated, Trump threatened “severe” tariffs and sanctions if Russia refused to engage, first setting a 50-day deadline before shortening it to 10 days in late July.
Despite skepticism from the press, Trump is pushing forward. He is scheduled to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders at the White House on Monday to continue peace discussions.
For Trump’s allies, the outrage over carpets and handshakes is proof of a media more interested in optics than outcomes. As Rubio put it: “At the end of the day, we have to get the Russian side to agree to things that they don’t want to agree to if we’re going to have peace. If not, they’ll just be at war and they’ll keep killing each other … but not for Ukraine.”
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