In the interview with Rubio embedded in the linked article, he flat out calls the war what it is - a proxy war between nuclear-armed adversaries. He still can't tell the whole truth, that is was triggered by US State-CIA moves going back more than a decade.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/03/05/national-security-advisor-mike-waltz-confirms-that-any-eu-nato-peacekeeping-troops-in-ukraine-will-not-have-article-5-protection-by-usa-military/