U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky after his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump turned into what Rubio described as a "fiasco."
In an interview with CNN, Rubio said Zelensky should apologize for how the meeting unfolded, questioning whether the Ukrainian leader was truly committed to peace. "There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic," Rubio said, arguing that Zelensky’s approach made negotiations more difficult.
The meeting, originally intended to discuss U.S. support for Ukraine and potential pathways to peace, quickly fell apart. Trump and Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of overestimating his leverage and failing to show enough appreciation for past U.S. aid.
Rubio suggested that Zelensky’s combative stance raised doubts about his willingness to negotiate: "Maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t." The fallout from the meeting cast serious uncertainty over the future of U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has taken a firm stance on peace and refused to accept what experts have called "capitulatory deal" that could give Russia an advantage.
Zelensky asserted during his interview with Fox News that Ukraine is "ready for peace but we need to be in a good position."
"We want peace... that's why I visited President Trump," Zelensky said, adding that he hopes that Trump would show stronger support for Ukraine rather than positioning himself as a mediator in the war. He emphasized that Russia was the aggressor, having launched the invasion. "I want really him to be more at our side," Zelensky said.
Following his meeting with Trump, world leaders have expressed support for Zelensky and Ukraine, emphasizing the need to continue assistance and resist Russian aggression.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
The tension escalated further when Trump abruptly ended the discussion, ordered Zelensky to leave the White House, and canceled a scheduled joint press conference. The incident came at a time when European leaders, including those from the U.K. and France, were pressing Washington to take a more active role in negotiations.
Rubio, however, defended Trump’s approach, saying the president had made it clear that Zelensky would be welcome back when he was "ready to make peace and he’s serious about peace."
Rubio insisted that Trump is the only world leader capable of ending the war: "Tonight, people will die in Ukraine… This is an unsustainable, bloody war that has to come to an end. And right now, the only leader in the world that can even have a chance of bringing about an end to this is named President Donald Trump."
He added that achieving a peace agreement would be complex but argued that Zelensky needed to engage more constructively rather than resist diplomatic efforts.
The Kyiv Independent
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