Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of attempting to deceive the United States by publicly claiming he rejected a deal involving his nation’s rare earth minerals while privately telling American negotiators he would discuss the matter with Ukraine’s parliament.
Rubio expressed his frustration over Zelensky’s actions, particularly after a meeting at the Munich Security Conference, where he, Vice President JD Vance, and special envoy Keith Kellogg had discussed the $500 billion economic investment deal, which the Trump administration views as a security guarantee for Ukraine.
“I was personally very upset,” Rubio told independent journalist Catherine Herridge in a video interview posted Thursday night. “We discussed this issue about the mineral rights, and we explained to them, ‘Look, we want to be in joint venture with you, not because we’re trying to steal from your country, but because we think that’s actually a security guarantee.’”
According to Rubio, Zelensky had expressed his support for the deal, saying it “makes all the sense in the world” but would need approval from Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada.
“I read two days later that Zelensky is out there saying, ‘I rejected the deal. I told him, “No way,” that we’re not doing that.’ That’s not what happened in that meeting,” Rubio said.
Trump, 78, also voiced his displeasure with Zelensky this week, calling him a “dictator” and dismissing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s role in instigating the war by invading Ukraine in February 2022.
“He sent a message that he’s not going to get gamed here,” Rubio said of the president’s comments. “He’s willing to work on peace because he cares about Ukraine, and he hopes Zelensky will be a partner in that, and not someone who’s out there putting this sort of counter-messaging to try to, you know, hustle us in that regard.”
Rubio was also taken aback by what he described as Zelensky’s lack of “gratitude” for the nearly $200 billion the U.S. has already provided in military and economic aid. He deemed it “very counterproductive” for Ukraine’s president to accuse Trump of echoing Russian “disinformation.”
On Friday, Trump further criticized Zelensky, stating that his actions were “making it very hard to make deals” and calling Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s initial trip to Ukraine for the minerals agreement a “wasted trip.”
“President Trump is very upset at President Zelensky in some cases — and rightfully so,” Rubio said. “Joe Biden had frustrations with Zelensky. People shouldn’t forget that. There are newspaper articles out there about how he cursed at them 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.”
“I also think it’s silly to say, ‘Well, the Ukrainians are going to be cut out or the Europeans are going to be cut out [of negotiations],’” Rubio added. “You can’t find a stop to a war unless both of the sides and their views are represented. They both have to agree to it. Like, Russia can’t agree to a cease-fire or to an end of hostilities, that the Ukrainians don’t agree to. It has to be on terms acceptable to both sides.”
The Secretary of State emphasized that Ukrainian officials, European Union leaders, and G7 members had been kept informed “throughout this process,” including ahead of the Munich conference and a summit with Russian officials in Riyadh.
“To say that we haven’t consulted with them is not accurate; it’s not true. It’s also not true that we haven’t consulted with our allies in Europe,” Rubio said, having participated in both meetings. “I personally spoke to the five foreign ministers right after my meeting with the Russians and walked them through what had happened.”
The discussions in Saudi Arabia, Rubio noted, were not focused on specific peace terms, but rather on re-establishing diplomatic relations and exploring potential areas of cooperation.
“I’m not sure the Russians are fans of the Iranian regime having nuclear weapons,” Rubio remarked.
“This meeting was as much as anything else, ‘Are you interested in even talking about ending the war?’” he recalled. “If you are, then let’s create a process where we can begin to engage at a technical level. And that process will now at some point be set up and begin.”
Vice President Vance added on Friday that media coverage of the peace talks has either been “entirely bogus” or omitted crucial information.
“The president is trying to achieve a lasting piece, not massage the egos or anxieties of people waving Ukraine flags,” Vance said on X.
“The idea that the President of the United States has to start the negotiation by saying ‘maybe we’ll let Ukraine into NATO’ defies all common sense. Again, it’s not appeasement to acknowledge the realities on the ground–realities President Trump has pointed to for years in some cases.”
{Matzav.com}
