Trump's choice of candidates for Secretary of State and National Security Advisor support Ukraine
US President-elect Donald Trump has decided to give the positions of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz. These politicians belong to the hawkish wing of the party and are more inclined to support Ukraine than classic Trumpists.
Source: European Pravda, citing a number of US media outlets and its own sources in the US
Details: Florida Senator Marco Rubio, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who is also a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, is reportedly to be nominated to head the State Department, the US foreign policy agency.
Quote from Florida Senator Rick Scott: "He (Rubio) will restore American leadership around the world."
Details: The future Secretary of State is to be confirmed by Congress next year. At the same time, one media outlet emphasises that considering the choice made and the fact that Trump will have control of both boards, this personnel decision will not face any problems.
Rubio voted in favour of the 2024 aid package for Ukraine and insisted on the importance of supporting it, even publicly criticising his fellow party members for questioning the need to help Ukraine. He has recently changed his rhetoric on how to end the war but remains in the more pro-Ukraine camp of the Republicans.
Congressman Michael Waltz, also elected from Florida, is to become the national security adviser.
Waltz, like Rubio, is known for his hawkish foreign policy views, which is in contrast to the president-elect's public stance. He is the son of Cuban immigrants and has built his image on supporting the overthrow of authoritarian governments around the world.
European Pravda reported that Waltz is a US Army veteran and the first Green Beret (he served in the US Army Special Forces) to be elected to Congress.
Waltz has experience working as an adviser at the Pentagon and has also worked in the defence sector as an executive at a Department of Defense contractor. He has been working in the House of Representatives on countering China and reducing dependence on Chinese resources and is considered one of the harshest critics of the Trump administration in the Republican Party.
Despite his lack of experience in the Trump administration, Waltz maintains a friendly relationship with the president-elect – not least because Waltz has actively defended the former president during his appearances on Fox News – and advises him on national security issues.
He is in favour of continued support for Ukraine, but with an emphasis on controlling the spending of US taxpayer funds.
Background: Trump has nominated a Trumpist who is a strong critic of the UN as ambassador to the organisation.
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