All posts tagged: Rubio

US secretary of state Marco Rubio says Greenland is part of Denmark ‘for now’

US secretary of state Marco Rubio says Greenland is part of Denmark ‘for now’

Published by Sam Flores

“For now.” That’s how US secretary of state Marco Rubio responded when asked whether he was “aware that Greenland is indeed part of Denmark” during questioning by Congress. It was asked by Sarah McBride of the House of Representatives’ foreign affairs committee, who grilled Mr Rubio over Donald Trump‘s repeated pronouncements that the US should take control of the island. Mr Trump has long advocated for the mineral-rich, self-governing Danish territory to become part of the US and hasn’t ruled out using military force. Such action would create an existential crisis for the NATO alliance, of which America and Denmark are members. He has claimed the Danish military is incapable of defending Greenland from the likes of Russia and China, even though there are already US forces stationed there. Ms McBride asked Mr Rubio if the US “needs to own land within NATO to defend it”. He replied: “We are actually ‌involved in conversations with Greenland and Denmark on the use of Greenland for collective defence for all of us. It’s a key part of …

Rubio says U.S. in Iran nuclear talks as senators press on endgame

Rubio says U.S. in Iran nuclear talks as senators press on endgame

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 02, 2026 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the U.S. is in talks with Iran and that Tehran has agreed to negotiate parts of its nuclear program it had previously refused to discuss, as lawmakers pressed the Trump administration for a strategy to end the war. “Talks with Iran are not like talks with Switzerland,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “They require the use of intermediators.” Rubio said there is a chance “today,” “tomorrow” or “next week” that Iran could engage on nuclear issues that it had refused to discuss “just a month ago, just a year ago.” That does not guarantee a deal “acceptable to the Senate or acceptable to the American people,” Rubio said, but it would let the U.S. “truly test” how far Iran is willing to go. The comments amounted to a striking shift in tone from …

US to Re-Engage With Gavi Vaccine Alliance Amid Ebola Outbreak, Rubio Says

US to Re-Engage With Gavi Vaccine Alliance Amid Ebola Outbreak, Rubio Says

Published by Sam Flores

By Patricia Zengerle and Jennifer Rigby WASHINGTON/LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco ⁠Rubio ⁠said on Tuesday that the U.S. would re-engage ⁠with the global vaccine alliance Gavi amid the Ebola outbreak in several African countries. Rubio told the Senate ​Foreign Relations Committee that the decision had been made a few weeks ago to re-engage, after the Trump administration pulled funding from Gavi last year. Gavi helps the ‌world’s poorest countries to buy vaccines, so ‌they can better protect children from diseases such as measles and diphtheria, but it also works in outbreak response. It has made $50 million available for ⁠the ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in ⁠Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, including $10 million for the immediate response and $40 million to ​help speed up access to vaccines, which are at an early stage of development.    The Geneva-based group’s budget took a hit last June, when U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said that the U.S. would no longer provide any funding – representing around $300 million a year – because …

Rubio to meet with Congress as Iran ceasefire falters

Rubio to meet with Congress as Iran ceasefire falters

Published by Sam Flores

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will appear on Capitol Hill on Tuesday for his first public testimony before lawmakers since the Trump administration launched the war in Iran. Rubio will address the Senate Foreign Relations Committee starting at 10 a.m., followed by an appearance in front of a House panel on State Department spending at 2 p.m. The sessions are part of a marathon schedule for the secretary to defend the administration’s nearly $36 billion budget request for his agency. Source link

Russia’s Lavrov tells Rubio Americans should leave Kyiv

Russia’s Lavrov tells Rubio Americans should leave Kyiv

Published by Sam Flores

TOPSHOT – Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the site of a heavily damaged building following Russian strikes to the Ukrainian capital in Kyiv on May 24, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Vladyslav MUSIENKO / AFP via Getty Images) Vladyslav Musienko | Afp | Getty Images Russia said on Tuesday its government has warned U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to evacuate diplomats and American citizens from Kyiv, as Moscow plots fresh strikes on the Ukrainian capital. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “officially informed” Washington that Russia would be launching “systematic and consistent strikes” against Ukrainian military facilities and what Moscow called “decision-making centers,” in a call with Rubio on Monday, according to the Russian government.   CNBC reached out to the U.S. and Ukrainian governments for comment. The call came after the Russian government issued a statement urging foreign citizens, diplomatic personnel, and international organizations to leave Kyiv, warning that it was preparing to target the capital, with a focus on facilities for designing, manufacturing, and programming drones. “The strikes …

Rubio says US ready to mediate peace as Moscow steps up threats to strike Kyiv

Rubio says US ready to mediate peace as Moscow steps up threats to strike Kyiv

Published by Sam Flores

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington remains ready to mediate in the war between Russia and Ukraine, after Moscow threatened new strikes on Kyiv. Russia’s warning, including a call for foreign diplomats to flee the Ukrainian capital, marks a fresh escalation in the more than four-year war, with Moscow vowing “systematic” attacks on Kyiv, including on “decision-making centres.” Rubio’s offer came after Russia battered Ukraine over the weekend, including firing its Oreshnik hypersonic missile, and following a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “Every time you see these big strikes from one side or the other, it’s a reminder of why this is a terrible war that’s now gone on longer than the Second World War, and it needs to come to an end,” Rubio told reporters during an official visit to India. “The US stands ready and prepared to help do whatever we can to help facilitate the end of this war, and hopefully the opportunity will present itself at some point.” Russia’s weekend barrage, involving dozens …

U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says

U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says transcript Back transcript U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Is Still a ‘Work in Progress,’ Rubio Says Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that peace talks between the United States and Iran were still ongoing after the Trump administration signaled earlier that an agreement could be imminent. We’re still a work in progress. As I said, you know, we thought we might have some news last night. Maybe today. I wouldn’t read too much into it. It takes a little while to hear back. So we have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters. As the president said, he’s not in a hurry. He’s not going to make a bad deal. I mean, the president is not going to make a bad agreement. So, let’s see what happens. We’re going to give diplomacy every …

Rubio Rebukes Hezbollah Chief Over Call for Lebanese to ‘Take to the Streets’

Rubio Rebukes Hezbollah Chief Over Call for Lebanese to ‘Take to the Streets’

Published by Sam Flores

The leader of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, on Sunday welcomed a possible deal between Iran and the United States to end their war. But he rejected direct talks between Israel and Lebanon and called for the Lebanese people to take to the streets. “We hope that a full agreement to cease hostilities will be reached and that this agreement will include us,” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, said in a speech. At the same time, Mr. Qassem condemned the Lebanese government for participating in direct negotiations with Israel, brokered by the United States, to end the fighting in Lebanon. Those talks, he said, benefit only Israel. “The people have the right to take to the streets and bring down the government in confronting the American-Israeli project,” Mr. Qassem said. He also rejected the Lebanese government’s calls for Hezbollah to disarm as part of any peace agreement. The speech drew the ire of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government,” …