Rubio said he believes that if Ukraine wants to achieve lasting and lasting peace, it can repair Trump-Zelensky’s relationship.
Zelenskyy “should apologise for turning this into a fiasco for him and for him,” he said. “There was no need for him to go there and be hostile.”
The goal of the conference was to establish a US economic agreement to gain access to Ukraine’s natural resources. That transaction never happened.
In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Rubio revealed his views on the collapse of negotiations, Trump’s intention to end the conflict with Russia, and what Zelenskyy should do next.
“We’ve explained our plans very clearly here, and we want to bring the Russians to the negotiation table,” Rubio said. “I want to explore whether peace is possible.”
He said the agreement that was supposed to be signed on Friday would have economically tied the US to Ukraine. However, for the past 10 days, Ukraine has been complicating negotiations.
“The agreement may have been signed five days ago, but they insisted on coming to Washington,” Rubio said.
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“President Zelensky took it that way, but it ended up with a predictable outcome,” he said. “There was no need for him to go there and be hostile.”
Rubio reiterated that the war had to end. “The way you can finish it is for you to take Russia to the table and talk.”
Instead, Rubio said Zelensky attacked Russian President Vladimir Putin and tried to do the same thing with Trump. “And we begin to realize that Zelensky may not want a peace deal,” said Rubio, stressing that it was about trusting the administration’s strategy, but confirming that the Russians wanted to legally end the war.
Rubio said he asked people about European plans to end the war. “I can tell you what a foreign minister said to me – and I am not going to say who it is – but I can tell you what one of them said to me. And that means the war will last another year, and at that point Russia feels so weak that they seek peace.”
Rubio does not view it as a realistic plan. “So, if there’s a peace possibility that you need to explore, even if it’s a 1% chance. And that’s what President Trump is trying to do here.”
Rubio said the US is funding the deadlock under President Biden. “We were funding meat grinders. And unfortunately, for Ukrainians, Russians can grind more meat, and they don’t care about human life.”
Rubio said negotiations were not a political campaign. “This is international diplomacy and an effort to end a very dangerous war.”
CNN’s Collins pointed out that in the past Rubio called Putin a war criminal and butcher. “And at this point, as Secretary of State, my job as a president, as I am working for the President is to save peace,” replied Rubio. “To end this conflict and to end this war. Ultimately, that’s the job of the State Department.”
Rubio expressed his dissatisfaction with reports that the US has not coordinated with Ukrainians for negotiations. “That’s absolutely wrong,” he said. “For the past 10 days, the Ukrainians have met with the Secretary of Commerce. The US Secretary of State was in an oval office today when the US Vice President called President Trump. I have spoken three times with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister in the last 10 days.”
The meeting ended today with a deep sense of frustration, Rubio said. He hopes the situation will be reset, and that its maturity and pragmatism will begin. “Tonight, people will die in Ukraine. Tonight, people will die in this conflict. We are about to end this conflict. This is unsustainable.”
Trump needs to be given the opportunity to end the war, Rubio said. He believes that if Ukraine wants to achieve lasting and enduring peace, it can repair Trump and Zelensky’s relationship.
