You can’t cut a deal with a guy like this,’ said Rubio of Vladimir Putin shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Trump’s friendly stance towards Putin, on full display in the recent meeting of the two leaders, doesn’t reflect popular opinion in the U.S., says Putin foe Bill Browder. He recalls that, when he and Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza lobbied for the Magnitsky Act in 2012,

Trump hosted Putin in Alaska summit on Ukraine war but failed to secure ceasefire, though both sides reported progress and planned future meetings

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "both sides are going to have to make concessions" to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin will meet on Friday to discuss bringing an end to Moscow's ongoing war against Ukraine, which Putin launched in February 2022. The White House said the Russian leader reached out to request the meeting, to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited.

President Trump will not be meeting Russia's Putin one-on-one on Friday. He will be accompanied by Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff.

The following is the full transcript of an interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 17, 2025.