Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Trump and his administration would reengage with Ukrainian officials “when they are ready to make peace.”

Mr. Rubio said that Ukrainian Volodymyr Mr. Zelenskyy has hurt the peace talks by trying to “Ukraine-splain on every issue.”

Mr. Rubio said Mr. Trump’s goal is to see whether there is a way to wind down the “bloody stalemate” between Ukraine and Russia and that involves working with Russian President Vladimir Putin, not calling him names or being antagonistic.

“He is trying to get Russia to the table to see if there is a way to bring about an end to this conflict,” Mr. Rubio said of Mr. Trump on ABC News’ “This Week.” “That is his centralized focus.”

“The only way it ends is if Vladimir Putin comes to a negotiating table and right now President Trump is the only person on earth who has any chance whatsoever of bringing him to a table to see what it is he would be willing to end the war on,” Mr. Rubio said. “Now, maybe their claims or what they want, their demands will be unreasonable. We don’t know.”

Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance had an explosive exchange Friday in the Oval Office with Mr. Zelenskyy, berating the Ukrainian president for not being more grateful for U.S. aid. Mr. Trump warned Mr.Zelenskyy that he was “gambling with World War III” and suggested he must accept the cease-fire deal that administration officials are hammering out with Russia.

Mr. Zelenskyy warned that Mr. Putin has shown he will not abide by peace deals. The Ukrainian leader also has been seeking security guarantees as part of any peace deal with Russia.

The public clash exposed tensions over the three-year war in Ukraine, and raised questions about ongoing U.S. assistance. It also exposed divisions between the Trump administration and Europe over what comes next.

Mr. Zelenskyy is working to shore up support among Ukraine’s European allies. He met with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other European leaders at a summit in London.

Since the heated showdown at The White House, Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly thanked Mr. Trump and members of Congress for financial and military support.

Mr. Rubio said Mr. Putin will not win the Nobel Peace Prize this year, but like it or not, he must be involved in carving out a peace deal.

“If there are no negotiations, what is the alternative? Another four years of war — three years of war in which the U.S. and Europe continue to pour billions of dollars into a war in Ukraine?” the secretary of state said.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.