Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday evening that Volodymyr Zelensky should apologize for what the U.S. diplomat described as a “fiasco,” referring to the Ukrainian president’s explosive outburst with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office hours earlier.
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” Rubio told CNN news anchor Kaitlan Collins. “I think he should apologize for wasting our time for a meeting that was going to end the way it did.”
Zelensky’s visit to the White House got heated when he questioned Vance on diplomatic relations with Russia, suggesting Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted if a peace deal is made. Vance then scolded Zelensky for being “disrespectful,” acknowledging the U.S. is trying to save Ukraine from total destruction.
The argument escalated after Zelensky appeared to say the U.S. will feel pressure from Russia to eventually enter a military conflict, despite the vast ocean that separates the two world powers.
“You’re in no position to dictate what we’re going to feel,” Trump told Zelensky as the two sat next to each other. “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people! You’re gambling with World War III!” Trump shouted.
Before the high-stakes visit, Trump called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” and suggested Ukraine, not Russia, was to blame for the start of the war. The U.S. also spoke with Russia first about a potential peace deal while excluding Ukraine and the European Union from the negotiating table. These factors most likely contributed to the Oval Office blowup.
“Have you said ‘thank you’ once? You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October,” Vance said, accusing Zelensky of campaigning for Kamala Harris during a visit to the battleground state of Pennsylvania. “Offer some words of appreciation for the Unites States of America and the president who’s trying to save your country.”
Zelensky later thanked President Trump, Congress, and the U.S. on social media and reiterated his gratitude during an interview with Fox News host Bret Bair. However, he initially declined to apologize for his part in the outburst.
“I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad,” Zelensky told Baier. He later issued a curt apology at the end of the interview. “We are thankful and sorry for this,” he said in passing.
Zelensky was expected to sign a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in return for security guarantees from the Trump administration to discourage future Russian aggression. The deal was not signed as a result of the heated exchange. The Ukrainian leader previously opposed signing the minerals deal.
Trump reportedly kicked his guest out of the White House because he felt disrespected. Rubio echoed that sentiment.
“We are trying to bring it to an end — the way you bring it to an end is you get Russia to the table to talk,” Rubio said on CNN. [Trump] understands that attacking Putin, no matter how anyone may feel about him personally, forces the president into a position where you’re trying to goad him into attacking Putin, calling him names, maximalist demands about Russia having to pay for the reconstruction [of Ukraine].”
The secretary of state touted President Trump’s deal-making skills as a real-estate tycoon and said perhaps Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal because he is undermining Trump’s efforts.
“When you start talking about that aggressively,” Rubio continued, “you’re not going to get people to the table. And so you start to perceive that maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. He says he does, but maybe he doesn’t.”
Following the viral meeting, the Trump administration is considering pausing all ongoing shipments of military aid to Ukraine.
It remains to be seen how peace talks will proceed.
While Trump said Putin wants to end the war, the Republican didn’t say the same of Zelensky. “That was not a man that wanted to make peace,” Trump told reporters on Friday, “and I’m only interested if he wants to end the bloodshed.”
Three years after the Russia-Ukraine war started in February 2022, Rubio hopes the conflict ends soon. The diplomat mentioned a conversation with a European foreign minister, who said the war will last another year if peace is not achieved.
“If there’s a chance at peace, even if it’s a 1 percent chance, that needs to be explored,” Rubio concluded. “And that’s what President Trump is trying to do here.”