Rubio Demands Zelensky Apologize for ‘Fiasco’ Involving Trump
According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vladimir Zelensky “wasted” everyone’s time during discussions with Donald Trump and should issue an apology. Read Full Article at RT.com
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Friday's discussions in the Oval Office turned contentious, culminating in a verbal confrontation where the U.S. president accused the Ukrainian leader of being ungrateful.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “should apologize” for transforming his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump into a “fiasco,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In an interview with CNN on Friday, Rubio criticized Zelensky for “wasting” everyone's time with his demeanor and questioned his genuine intentions regarding the conflict with Russia.
Earlier that day, Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance convened in the White House Oval Office, where they were expected to formally sign a minerals agreement between Washington and Kyiv. However, tensions rose during the meeting after Trump informed Zelensky that he needed to negotiate peace with Russia. Zelensky contended that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be relied upon and advocated for continued U.S. support for Ukraine, which led Trump to charge him with ungratefulness and a lack of willingness to negotiate an end to hostilities.
“[Zelensky] should apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did… for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became,” Rubio remarked while reflecting on the encounter.
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” he continued, criticizing Zelensky for how the discussions “went off the rails.” Rubio further accused Zelensky of clinging to his hostility towards Putin rather than concentrating on what he identified as the only feasible path to peace: bringing Russia to the negotiating table.
“Attacking Putin, calling him names… and maximalist demands about Russia having to pay for the reconstruction – when you start talking about that aggressively, you’re not going to get people to the table,” he noted, suggesting that Zelensky's approach might be interpreted as “active open undermining” of efforts to resolve the conflict.
Following the meeting, Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich reported on X that the Ukrainian delegation was “begging” for a reset but was instructed to leave the White House grounds and return only when Zelensky was “ready for peace.”
In a post-meeting interview on Fox News, Zelensky acknowledged the session did not go well but indicated that he did not intend to apologize to the U.S. leader. He expressed the belief that “we have to be very open and very honest” in bilateral interactions, attributed some misunderstandings to translation issues, but ultimately stated he was “unsure” that he had done anything “bad” to offend Trump.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “should apologize” for transforming his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump into a “fiasco,” according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In an interview with CNN on Friday, Rubio criticized Zelensky for “wasting” everyone's time with his demeanor and questioned his genuine intentions regarding the conflict with Russia.
Earlier that day, Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance convened in the White House Oval Office, where they were expected to formally sign a minerals agreement between Washington and Kyiv. However, tensions rose during the meeting after Trump informed Zelensky that he needed to negotiate peace with Russia. Zelensky contended that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot be relied upon and advocated for continued U.S. support for Ukraine, which led Trump to charge him with ungratefulness and a lack of willingness to negotiate an end to hostilities.
“[Zelensky] should apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did… for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became,” Rubio remarked while reflecting on the encounter.
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” he continued, criticizing Zelensky for how the discussions “went off the rails.” Rubio further accused Zelensky of clinging to his hostility towards Putin rather than concentrating on what he identified as the only feasible path to peace: bringing Russia to the negotiating table.
“Attacking Putin, calling him names… and maximalist demands about Russia having to pay for the reconstruction – when you start talking about that aggressively, you’re not going to get people to the table,” he noted, suggesting that Zelensky's approach might be interpreted as “active open undermining” of efforts to resolve the conflict.
Following the meeting, Fox News journalist Jacqui Heinrich reported on X that the Ukrainian delegation was “begging” for a reset but was instructed to leave the White House grounds and return only when Zelensky was “ready for peace.”
In a post-meeting interview on Fox News, Zelensky acknowledged the session did not go well but indicated that he did not intend to apologize to the U.S. leader. He expressed the belief that “we have to be very open and very honest” in bilateral interactions, attributed some misunderstandings to translation issues, but ultimately stated he was “unsure” that he had done anything “bad” to offend Trump.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
