What did Marco Rubio say about China, Iran, Israel and Ukraine?

President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state, the world's most important diplomat, could shake things up when it comes to the United States' relationship with its enemies and allies.

Rubio, considered a foreign policy hawk, has been harshly critical of China and Iran, two of the United States' biggest economic and geopolitical rivals, but he has also been ambivalent about continued support for Ukraine, echoing Trump's position that war with Russia must come. home.

As vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio was formally appointed to serve as secretary of state by Trump late Wednesday as he named his top team for the White House following his decisive election victory last week.

Trump said in a statement on his platform, Truth Social, “He will be a strong defender of our nation, a true friend of our allies, and a brave warrior who will never back down from our adversaries.”

Rubio's nomination, along with his firm stance on foreign policy matters and criticism of America's adversaries, may allay fears among US allies that the world's most powerful economy will withdraw from the world stage, in light of Trump's “America First” policy.

Before his nomination, and after Trump won the election, Rubio told CNN that the United States was entering “an era of pragmatic foreign policy.”

“The world is changing rapidly,” Rubio said. “As you know, adversaries — in North Korea, Iran, China, Russia — are increasingly coming together and coordinating.” “It will require us to be very pragmatic and prudent in how we invest abroad and what we do.”

The relationship between Trump and Rubio has not always been easy. The two men ran for president in 2016, and had bitter clashes during their campaign for the Republican nomination, with Trump calling Rubio “little Marco” and Rubio mocking Trump's “little hands.”

At the time, Rubio was critical of Trump's isolationist foreign policy stance. In 2016, he said that “a world without American engagement is a world that none of us want to live with,” arguing against Trump's position that the United States gives more than it gets from its interactions with the international community.

Since then, Rubio has reconciled with the president-elect and supported him in his presidential campaign.

Rubio's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his new role, but here's a snapshot of the 53-year-old politician's comments on some of the United States' biggest foreign policy challenges, suggesting what we might expect from the next Secretary of State:

“This report should serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers, CEOs, and investors,” Rubio said, calling for a “society-wide effort to rebuild our country, defeat the China challenge, and keep the flame of freedom burning for generations.” To come.”

There is no love lost for Rubio in Beijing. In 2020, China imposed sanctions on Rubio and other senior US officials during a round of tit-for-tat sanctions between Beijing and Washington.

It is uncertain how the Trump administration, and future Secretary of State Rubio, will deal with Iran, with both Republicans giving mixed signals when it comes to a punitive or more pragmatic policy stance.

Trump sparked international panic in his first term in office by tearing up the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposing harsh sanctions on Iran, with critics warning that Iran's nuclear weapons capability would be achieved sooner rather than later as a result.

Before his election victory last week, Trump indicated that he was open to reaching a new nuclear agreement with Iran, but he told reporters in New York: “Absolutely, I will do that.” He said in statements reported by Politico newspaper, “We have to make an agreement, because the consequences are impossible. We have to make an agreement.”

For his part, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his country “will have to deal with the United States on the regional and international arenas,” Reuters reported, indicating that Iran may also be open to talks.

However, a new nuclear agreement may not be popular in Israel, a country of which Trump portrayed himself as a “protector” during his election campaign. Rubio has also been an outspoken critic of Iran and a staunch supporter of Israel as it continues its attacks on Iran's proxies, namely the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, in Gaza and Lebanon, respectively.

In late September, Rubio lent his support to the Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, telling NBC News that “Israel has no choice but to defend itself. By eliminating not only Nasrallah, but “The senior leadership of this evil organization, I believe, is a service to humanity.” He added that Iran's goal in the Middle East is “to seek to remove America from the region and then destroy Israel.”

Rubio didn't rule out a pragmatic approach toward Tehran either, telling NBC News: “If tomorrow the Iranian regime says, 'We're going to stop trying to become the regional power, we're going to stop our nuclear weapons,' we'll stop that.” “We're going to stop sponsoring terrorism, we're going to stop trying to kill you — which is what they're trying to do with Donald Trump — we're going to stop all of these things,” he said. “In theory, yes of course, you could do something like that.”

However, he added that this scenario is “unlikely because this is the primary mission and goal of the system.” Iran has denied US accusations that Tehran is linked to an alleged plot to kill Trump.

It is widely agreed that the incoming Trump administration will be more hostile toward giving Ukraine more military aid, significantly hampering its ability to continue the fight against Russia. The Republican administration is also likely to push Kiev into peace talks with Russia where it would be forced to cede occupied territory to its neighbor as part of a peace deal.

Rubio insisted he was “not on Russia's side,” but told NBC News in late September: “Unfortunately, the reality is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is a negotiated settlement.”

He added: “We hope that when that time comes, there will be more leverage on the Ukrainian side than on the Russian side. That's really the goal here, in my mind. And I think that's what (former President) Donald Trump is trying to say.” Rubio said.

The senator was initially an outspoken supporter of Ukraine, but his and other Republicans' support waned as the funding bill grew older after 32 months of war, and as domestic issues remained unresolved.

Rubio was among a small group of hard-line Republicans who voted in April against a $95 billion aid package to help Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, saying he opposed the bill because the United States was not doing enough to address its own domestic challenges, such as border security. And immigration.