Overview

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to directly call Vladimir Putin a war criminal during a May 21 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, despite acknowledging war crimes in Ukraine.
• Rep. Bill Keating pressed Rubio on his stance, highlighting Rubio's past criticism of Rex Tillerson for a similar refusal in 2017 regarding Putin's actions in Aleppo.
• Rubio emphasized that negotiations with Putin are necessary to end the war in Ukraine, stating accountability for war crimes would come later.
• The exchange occurred as the Trump administration continues efforts to broker a ceasefire, including recent calls between President Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Zelensky.
• Putin remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the abduction of children from occupied Ukrainian territories.