Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted war crimes have been committed in Ukraine but stopped short of directly calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal.
• During a contentious House hearing, Rep. Bill Keating accused Rubio of equivocating and highlighted Rubio’s past criticism of Putin as a senator in 2017.
• Rubio defended his stance by asserting that negotiations with Putin are necessary to end the war and prevent further civilian casualties.
• The International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Putin over the forced transfer of Ukrainian children remains active as accountability efforts continue.
• Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of civilians have died, with incidents like the Bucha massacre underscoring the war's devastating human toll.