A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, August 17, 2025 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.

Rubio replied that the “goal here” is to reach a “peace agreement,” rather than “to stage some production for the world and say, ‘Oh how dramatic. [Trump] walked out.” Enough progress was made, Rubio insisted, to continue moving toward an agreement (though he elided Trump’s newfound embrace of a peace agreement instead of a ceasefire).

Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan disputes Secretary of State Marco Rubio's characterization that continuing negotiations with Russian President Putin are a step toward ending the war in Ukraine.

SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO, FORMER BIDEN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER JAKE SULLIVAN & SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, SUNDAY ON “THIS WEEK” WITH CO-ANCHOR MARTHA RADDATZ Plus, Martha Raddatz sits down with Former CIA Chief of Central Eurasia Division Robert Dannenberg.

Two key figures, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appear to be the front-runners. Trump himself suggested that Vance is the "likely" candidate to succeed him, while also leaving open the possibility of a Vance-Rubio joint ticket.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) has asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to clarify comments he made on a radio show earlier this week, where he appeared to threaten the domestic non-profit group with a terror designation for alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The United States deeply appreciates Pakistan’s engagement on counterterrorism and trade,” the official message added. “We look forward to exploring new areas of economic cooperation, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons, and fostering dynamic business partnerships which will promote a prosperous future for Americans and Pakistanis.”

Trump’s friendly stance towards Putin, on full display in the recent meeting of the two leaders, doesn’t reflect popular opinion in the U.S., says Putin foe Bill Browder. He recalls that, when he and Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza lobbied for the Magnitsky Act in 2012,