Bangladesh, May 21 -- In a striking departure from the dominant bipartisan consensus on Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a blunt warning to lawmakers during a three-hour hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 20. Rubio suggested that Americas deep entanglement in the Ukraine conflict is diverting vital attention and resources from a potentially “much more cataclysmic confrontation” brewing in the Indo-Pacific, where tensions with China continue to escalate.

His comments, which echo President Donald Trumps recently reaffirmed foreign policy stance, signal a strategic pivot within the administration away from Europe and toward Asia. While Rubio stopped short of calling for a total withdraw...