In a recent interview granted to journalist Catherine Herridge for social media platform X, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stern warning to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski regarding how he is managing his relations with the United States, particularly with President Donald Trump.
Rubio accused Zelensky of acting with "double standards" in his interactions with him and Trump. “We discussed mining rights with Zelensky and told him that we want to form a joint venture with you because we believe we need a security guarantee,” Rubio stated.
According to the head of U.S. diplomacy, they presented Zelenski with the need for "them to return part of the 200 billion dollars of taxpayers' money that we have given him."
"He said, 'Of course, I need to analyze it through the legislative power.' Two days later, I read that he said he had rejected the agreement. That was not what happened in that meeting," Rubio explained.
The Secretary of State also expressed his frustration over Ukraine's lack of gratitude towards the U.S., stating that "Ukraine does not directly affect the daily lives of Americans; there should be some kind of gratitude for that."
Additionally, he openly criticized the way Zelenski has managed his public statements regarding Trump. In that sense, he emphasized that Zelenski's criticisms of Trump, whom he accused of spreading misinformation, could be counterproductive for the Ukrainian leader.
"When we see him accuse the president of misinformation, that is highly counterproductive. President Trump is not going to accept that. He will not be fooled. I hope Zelenski is not trying to deceive the United States; that won't be productive here," Rubio declared.
These statements come amid a growing tension in U.S. politics regarding the future of support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. With Trump back in the White House, the relationship between Kiev and Washington is becoming strained to unimaginable extremes.
The closeness of Trump and Vladimir Putin has become evident in recent days as both leaders stage a dialogue that seems aimed at restoring commercial and diplomatic relations.
In that context, Rubio's stance was to suggest to the Ukrainian leader that he manage his communication and diplomacy with the new Trump administration more cautiously, especially with the president.
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