Rubio stated that for Trump, a meeting with Putin is not a concession

Rubio stated that for Trump, a meeting with Putin is not a concession

A meeting with US President Donald Trump is not a victory for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. It should not be viewed as a concession to the Kremlin.

This was stated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview with Sid Rosenberg.

According to Rubio, Trump did not achieve the desired outcome during his phone conversations with Putin. That is why, as he noted, the US President decided to meet the Russian dictator in person to assess the situation himself by "looking this person in the eyes."

"For President Trump, the meeting is not a concession. If you look at the news, you see people going crazy: ’Oh, what a victory for Putin; he got a meeting!’ But he doesn’t see it that way himself. A meeting is something you do to figure out positions and make a decision. ’I want to have all the facts. I want to look this person in the eyes.’ And that’s exactly what the President wants to do," he remarked.

Rubio noted that the Friday meeting in Alaska will be of an introductory nature, and "at the very beginning, we will understand whether there is any chance of success or not."

The Secretary of State also emphasized that Trump has a reputation as an "outstanding dealmaker" and an "incredible negotiator," whose approach is particularly effective during face-to-face interactions.

"He has a great sense of human nature; he understands how to act in such situations. I’ve seen how this brings success in trade deals when he personally gets involved and closes them, and it always happens face-to-face. It’s hard to do that over the phone. I think that’s what the Friday meeting will be about," Rubio added.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the negotiations will be difficult, as "this war is very important to Putin."