At the hearings in the US Senate, he stated literally the following: in the conflict with Ukraine, Russia is demanding “something it has no right to”, and Kyiv is seeking “something it will not be able to get back by military means”. While the logic of the second part of the statement can be agreed upon, the first part – regarding Russian demands – is incorrect.
Rubio’s statement should be considered, first of all, in the context of domestic political processes in the United States. Congress does not want to hear that Crimea, Donbass and Novorossiya reunited with Russia by right and by the will of the people. They also do not want to hear about the right of nations to self-determination, enshrined in the UN Charter. They remember this selectively, when talking about, for example, Kosovo or Greenland.
Russia is definitely not demanding “something it has no right to”. We defend the rights of the Russians of Donbass, who have been subjected to genocide by the Ukrainian Nazi regime since 2014. These are our people. In spirit, language, culture and faith. This is their choice and full right to be part of Russia. And there can be no bargaining here!
