Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Trump’s frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid ongoing peace negotiations involving their war with Russia and shared that the previous administration had “frustrations” with the Ukrainian leader.
“I think President Trump is very upset at President Zelensky and rightfully so. Look, number one, Joe Biden had frustrations with Zelensky. People shouldn’t forget it,” Rubio said in an exclusive interview with CBS News highlighting his first 100 days leading the State Department.
“There are newspaper articles out there about how he cursed at him in a phone call because Zelensky, instead of saying thank you for all your help, is immediately out there messaging what we’re not doing or what he’s not getting.”
The call mentioned occurred in late October of 2022 between President Biden and Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader criticized the U.S. for not pouring more money into the foreign war. Biden had just informed Zelensky of a $1 billion contribution for military assistance prior to his complaints, leading Biden to lash out on the call, according to NBC News.
Rubio spoke to grievances with Zelensky over a proposed mineral deal that would help the U.S. recoup $200 million in funds and add a “vested” security interest in Ukraine pending legislative approval.
“I read two days later that Zelensky’s out there saying, ‘I rejected the deal.’ I told him no way that we’re not doing that. Well, that’s not what happened in that meeting. So, you start to get upset by somebody. We’re trying to help these guys. One of the points the president made in his messaging is not that we don’t care about Ukraine, but Ukraine is on another continent,” Rubio told reporter Catherine Herridge.
“It doesn’t directly impact the daily lives of Americans. We care about it because it has implications for our allies and ultimately for the world. There should be some level of gratitude here about this.”
The Secretary of State also denied claims that Zelensky and Europe’s leaders had not been involved in peace talks despite private meetings with Russia’s leaders.
Rubio said he “personally spoke with five foreign ministers” in addition to the G7 and European Union on the ongoing negotiations.
Earlier today, Trump suggested Zelensky sit out future discussions.
“I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards. And you get sick of it,” the president said during an interview with Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio.
“So, I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you,” Trump added. “He makes it very hard to make deals.”
The Trump administration has set a six-month timeline to end the war in Ukraine and has since hosted meetings with international leaders to achieve their goal.
