U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the tensions following the meeting at the White House.
Rubio defended U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, reiterating the criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s behavior during the White House meeting, where he himself was present.
He also stated that media reports claiming Ukraine had been sidelined had caused dissatisfaction within the U.S. administration before the meeting, according to CNN.
Rubio described the speech by the Ukrainian president as an “open attempt to undermine efforts to achieve peace.”
The senior U.S. official reiterated the usual stance that President Trump is a “master negotiator” and that he would not be “fooled” by a bad deal with Russia and Vladimir Putin.
“I doubt Zelensky is willing to say and do what is necessary to move toward negotiations,” Rubio added.
He also commented on media reports suggesting that Ukraine was excluded from discussions, emphasizing that the U.S. is in constant contact with Ukrainian officials.
“In the past 10 days, they’ve met with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of State, the Vice President, had phone talks with Trump, and met with him in the Oval Office. I’ve spoken three times with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister… Yet, we continue to read inaccurate reports, and yet they are repeatedly stated,” Rubio said, adding, “This is exactly what has caused today’s strong sense of anger.”
On a separate note, Zelensky has stated that he will not apologize to Trump as he believes he has done nothing wrong and has only defended the interests of his own country.
