Plane malfunction forces State Secretary Rubio to return to Washington while en route to Munich Security Conference

A U.S. Air Force plane carrying U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch was forced to return to Washington due to a technical malfunction, the Associated Press reported on Feb. 14.  

Rubio and Risch were en route to Germany for the Munich Security Conference. U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Rubio are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 14.

The aircraft, a C-32 converted Boeing 757, experienced a problem with the cockpit windshield about 90 minutes after takeoff from Joint Base Andrews, prompting an emergency return to the base.  

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed the incident, saying Rubio “intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft.”  

Zelensky will lead Ukraine’s delegation at the conference, where U.S. President Donald Trump’s team is expected to outline its diplomatic approach to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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