Rubio’s quiet ascent into Trump’s inner circle

Rubio’s quiet ascent into Trump’s inner circle

It was after midnight in Malaysia when Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialed into a call between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The topic was Ukraine and Rubio, on his first trip to Asia as Trump’s top diplomat, had just met face-to-face with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Rubio Reshapes U.S. Foreign Policy as Trump’s Most Trusted Power Broker Behind Ukraine Pivot

In a secure late-night call between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dialed in from Malaysia, where he had just met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio relayed Trump’s deep frustration with Russia’s lack of progress toward peace in Ukraine. While Rubio described Lavrov’s ideas as “new and different,” he acknowledged they held no guarantees. During the call, Trump made a s…