A former U.S. ambassador was baffled by comments the Secretary of State made on Sunday about the best way to end the war in Ukraine.

On the Sunday morning talk shows, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that both Ukraine and Russia would need to make concessions to end the war. Similarly, Rubio said that the U.S. should back off on its sanctions against Russia because they are harming diplomacy between the countries.

Daniel Fried, a former ambassador to Poland, discussed Rubio's apparent flip-flop over Russia on CNN's "CNN Newsroom" with Fredricka Whitfield on Sunday.

"Secretary Rubio, on the morning talk shows, said that sanctions don't work and could harm diplomacy," Fried recounted. "What!?"

The U.S. has imposed numerous sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Some experts have suggested that the sanctions nearly crippled Russia's economy before President Donald Trump took office.

Fried also reminded viewers that Rubio's comments stand in stark opposition to Trump's position on sanctions.

"It was just two days ago, going to Anchorage, that Trump himself said, 'If we don't get a ceasefire, I'll be unhappy and big sanctions will come,'" Fried added.

Fried also noted the irony of Rubio's comments, given the Trump administration's tariff policy.

"Does this administration really believe that economic pressure doesn't work?" Fried asked. "This is an administration that loves economic pressure to open diplomacy. So, what was the Secretary talking about?"

Watch the entire clip below or by clicking here.