Ex-US envoy to Russia asks why Jared Kushner and not Marco Rubio is going for talks with Putin

WASHINGTON, DC: Jared Kushner is heading to Moscow with Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, for talks with Vladimir Putin and the absence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio is raising eyebrows, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. 

The lineup left former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul puzzled.

“Can someone explain to me why Special Envoy Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law participate in negotiations with both the Ukrainians and Russians, but our Secretary of State only talks to the Ukrainians and is not leading the delegation to talk to Putin?” McFaul asked on social media. “I don’t get it."

Marco Rubio’s role questioned as Trump sends Jared Kushner to Moscow

McFaul noted that Trump’s secretary of state and national security adviser had been at the center of Ukraine talks in Florida on Sunday, seated between Witkoff and Kushner.

At that meeting, Rubio emphasized that Washington’s goals extend beyond simply stopping the violence. “The end goal is obviously not just the end of the war,” he said.

“That’s central and fundamental. We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainians, and I know they do as well, that they want peace,” he added.

“But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.”

Trump echoed a similar tone aboard Air Force One later. “I’d like to see if we could save a lot of souls,” he told reporters.

“A lot of people are being killed. Last month, we had 27,000 people killed in that ridiculous war.”

“I think Russia would like to see it end, and I know Ukraine would like to see it end,” Trump said. “We have a corruption situation going on, which is not helpful.”

“I think that there is a good chance that we can make a deal,” he added.

Putin signals openness to talks as Marco Rubio remains banned from Russia

Putin has reportedly indicated that he is ready for “serious” peace talks, but he has not softened his conditions. “If they don’t withdraw, we will achieve this by force,” he reportedly said.

Meanwhile, there may be a straightforward reason why Rubio isn’t part of the Moscow delegation: he was banned from entering Russia last year after the Kremlin added him and his wife to its sanctions list. The move was apparently tied to his support for Ukraine following the 2022 full-scale invasion.

“The ban applies to those involved in conceiving, carrying out, and justifying the anti-Russia policy adopted by the current administration of the United States, as well as those directly involved in anti-Russia undertakings,” the Kremlin said in 2024 while announcing an earlier list of Americans “permanently banned” from Russia.

“The decision is part of retaliatory measures in response to the massive and constantly expanding list of sanctions imposed by the American government on Russian citizens for supporting the Kremlin and the special military operation.”

McFaul is also on the list, along with more than 2,000 other Americans, including journalists, actors, officials, and lawmakers. Some names were added long after they had passed away, including the late John McCain.

The roster also includes Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Elizabeth Warren, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Rachel Maddow, John Bolton, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mark Kelly, Janet Mills, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.