The key facts
- The question to Marco Rubio was asked by Bloomberg journalist Eric Martin in English, not by a representative of local media in Russian
- Rubio asked whether the journalist knew the local language; he replied that he spoke Russian poorly
- Rubio noted that the local language is Uzbek, but most people understand Russian, although it is not the state language
Video cut out of context
The video circulating online, in which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is allegedly asked a question in Russian, turned out to be cut out of context, Kun.uz reports, citing a clarification conducted by the outlet.
Who asked the question and what it was about
According to the outlet, the person who asked Rubio the question was not a representative of local media, but Bloomberg agency journalist Eric Martin. He addressed the Secretary of State in English. Rubio, in turn, asked him whether he knew the local language of Uzbekistan.
A conversation about languages
The journalist replied that he spoke Russian poorly. After that, the Secretary of State added that the local language is Uzbek, however, although Russian is not the state language in the country, most people understand it.
Reaction online
It was this short fragment of the conversation about languages that sparked discussions. In particular, many users believed that the journalist was a representative of local media and criticized him for asking the question in Russian.
