Washington DC- Secretary of State Marco Rubio was forced to turn back Thursday while on his way abroad due to a mechanical issue with his plane, the State Department said.

Rubio was headed to the Munich Security Conference when his plane abruptly turned back toward Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, according to an AFP reporter with him.

"The plane on which Secretary Rubio is flying experienced a mechanical issue," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

"The plane has turned around and is returning to Joint Base Andrews. The Secretary intends to continue his travel to Germany and the Middle East on a separate aircraft."

Politicians Hegseth addresses accusations of "betrayal" amid shock over Trump's plan for peace talks with Putin

CBS correspondent Margaret Brennan, who was also on the flight, said in a tweet that the plane's "cockpit windshield cracked."

Rubio was set to join US Vice President JD Vance in a meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after President Donald Trump spoke by phone with his counterpart Vladimir Putin and said he would pursue diplomacy to end the war.

Rubio is set afterward to continue to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to discuss a fragile Gaza ceasefire.

He will also hold discussions on Trump's outrageous proposal to seize the territory – which has been leveled by Israel in a 16-month US-sponsored assault – and ethnically cleanse it of Palestinian residents, turning it into a real-estate project.