Rubio slams CBS host in heated Putin summit defence

President Trump greets Russian President Putin at their Alaska meeting for Ukraine peace talks (Illustrative image) (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Getty Images

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a combative defence of President Trump's Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin during heated exchanges on Sunday morning television. Rubio sparred with CBS host Margaret Brennan and ABC's Martha Raddatz as they pressed him for details about the three-hour meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Rubio dismissed media criticism of the upcoming White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "This is such a stupid media narrative that [European leaders] are coming here tomorrow because Trump is going to bully Zelensky into a bad deal. We've been working with these people for weeks... We invited them to come," he told Brennan.

The Secretary of State emphasised that any Ukraine peace deal would require mutual compromise. "To have a deal... to reach the end of this conflict, both sides are going to have to make concessions," Rubio explained, rejecting suggestions that Russia should simply withdraw from occupied territories.

Media confrontation intensifies

When Brennan pressed whether the administration was demanding Russian troop withdrawal from seized land, Rubio pushed back firmly. "This is about what Ukraine can accept. And what Russia can accept. They both have to accept it, otherwise, there won't be a peace deal," he stated.

Rubio defended the negotiation approach against accusations of forcing Ukrainian surrender. "If there aren't concessions, if one side gets everything they want, that's called surrender. That's called the end of the war through surrender. And that's not what we're close to doing, because neither side here is on the verge of surrender or anything close to it," he continued.

On ABC, Rubio refused to reveal specific Putin concessions when challenged by Martha Raddatz. "Can you name any concessions that Vladimir Putin made during this meeting?" she asked. "I wouldn't name them on your program," Rubio fired back. "Why would I do that?"

Conservative praise follows

Conservative commentators rallied behind Rubio's television performances. Charlie Kirk wrote: "Bravo to Sec. Marco Rubio this morning for embarrassing CBS and ABC News. Impressive he didn't just walk out of those interviews."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich defended the Trump-Putin meeting strategy. "President Trump is a great negotiator and Alaska was just the opening act in a multi act play. Patience and calm would be a wise approach for the time being," he stated.

Diplomatic stakes rise

The Alaska summit marked Trump's first direct meeting with Putin as president, though no immediate ceasefire agreement emerged. The focus has shifted from achieving a quick ceasefire to negotiating a comprehensive peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

European leaders including Keir Starmer (Labour), Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz are scheduled to meet with Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday. The meeting comes after European leaders coordinated their approach through preparatory discussions.

Only the Independent reports that Steve Witkoff claimed Putin agreed to consider "Article 5-like protection" for Ukraine as a potential "game-changing" concession during the Alaska talks.

Sources used: "Daily Mail", "Guardian", "Independent", "Daily Star", "Express", "Evening Standard"

Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.