US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of making an attempt to “hustle” the USA by publicly rejecting a deal concerning Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals, whereas privately indicating willingness to debate it with Kyiv’s legislature, reported New York Submit.
Rubio claimed that Zelenskyy’s actions pissed off him, Vice President JD Vance, and Russia-Ukraine particular envoy Keith Kellogg following their assembly with the Ukrainian chief on the Munich Safety Convention.
The discussions centred on a $500 billion financial funding deal, which the Trump administration has framed as a safety assure for Kyiv.
“I used to be personally very upset,” Rubio instructed journalist Catherine Herridge in a video interview posted on X. “We mentioned this concern concerning the mineral rights, and we defined to them, ‘Look, we need to be in three way partnership with you, not as a result of we’re attempting to steal out of your nation, however as a result of we predict that’s really a safety assure.’”
EXCLUSIVE: Our full, unedited interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio(@SecRubio) on his first 30 days main the Division.
Restarting U.S./Russia relations following the Biden Administration, direct engagement with Ukraine, U.S. proposal for Gaza, stopping Iranian… pic.twitter.com/cxkHmNZWw0
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) February 21, 2025
Rubio and Vance name for transparency in negotiations
Rubio additionally expressed shock at what he described as Zelenskyy’s lack of “gratitude” for the almost $200 billion in financial and navy help offered by the US, calling it “very counterproductive” for Ukraine’s chief to recommend that Trump was spreading Russian “disinformation,” reported NY Submit.
“President Trump may be very upset at President Zelenskyy in some circumstances—and rightfully so,” Rubio stated.
He additionally identified that President Joe Biden had beforehand expressed frustration with Zelenskyy, citing experiences of heated telephone calls between them.
Rubio dismissed claims that Ukraine or Europe have been being excluded from negotiations. He insisted that Ukrainian, EU, and G7 officers have been saved knowledgeable “all through the method,” together with earlier than the Munich and Riyadh conferences with Russian officers.
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Trump criticises Zelenskyy’s actions
Zelenskyy had reportedly agreed that the deal “makes all of the sense on the planet” however acknowledged he wanted to hunt approval from Kyiv’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, as per NY Submit. Nevertheless, two days later, Zelenskyy allegedly declared publicly that he had outright rejected the deal.
US President Donald Trump criticised Zelenskyy this week, calling him a “dictator” and denying Russian President Vladimir Putin’s function in beginning the struggle with Ukraine.
“I’ve been watching this man for years now, as his cities get demolished, as his folks get killed, because the troopers get decimated,” Trump additionally stated on Fox Information Radio‘s ‘The Brian Kilmeade Present,’ as per experiences by NBC. “I’ve been watching him negotiate with no playing cards. He has no playing cards, and also you get sick of it,” he added.
The US has been collaborating with worldwide allies to facilitate peace talks geared toward ending the struggle in Ukraine. Over the weekend, a number of senior US officers travelled to Saudi Arabia for discussions with members of the Russian authorities, excluding Ukraine from the assembly.
(With inputs from New York Submit and NBC)
