Given opportunity to soften Trump's blows against Zelenskyy, Rubio keeps swinging

Independent journalist Catherine Herridge provided Secretary of State Marco Rubio with an opportunity Thursday to adopt a kinder, gentler approach to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy than that taken by President Donald Trump earlier in the week.

Instead, Rubio leaned into Trump's criticism of the foreign leader and added a few critiques of his own, including the suggestion that Zelenskyy is two-faced.

American and Russian diplomats met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss how best to proceed with ending the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy was not extended an invitation.

The Ukrainian president canceled his trip to the region and stated that "decisions on how to end the war in Ukraine cannot be made without Ukraine, nor can any conditions be imposed."

'Keep the "gravy train" going.'

Trump suggested to reporters Tuesday evening that Zelenskyy has demonstrated in recent years that he would not have been a useful addition to the Saudi Arabia talks; that Zelenskyy's complaint about a lack of representation and political agency was hypocritical given that the Ukrainian people have not had elections since February 2022 and continue to be ruled by a increasingly unpopular president whose term expired in May 2024; and that Ukraine had a hand in starting the war.

Zelenskyy was quick to respond, accusing Trump of living in a "disinformation space" and suggesting that Trump's team should "be more truthful."

The heated back-and-forth was far from over.

Trump jumped on Truth Social Wednesday morning to characterize the leader who suspended elections, dissolved rival parties, consolidated Ukraine's media outlets, and banned a Christian denomination as a "dictator without elections" who wants to "keep the 'gravy train' going."

Herridge asked Rubio in an interview that aired Thursday what he thought about Trump's Truth Social post accusing Zelenskyy of being a dictator.

'That's not what happened in that meeting.'

The secretary of state said that Trump was upset at the Ukrainian president and "rightfully so," noting that the 47th president is hardly the first to have frustrations with Zelenskyy and that "people shouldn't forget it."

Rubio alluded to when former President Joe Biden castigated Zelenskyy on a June 2022 phone call for his apparent lack of gratitude. Citing numerous insiders said to be familiar with the call, NBC News reported that Biden had barely finished telling Zelenskyy that the U.S. was pouring another $1 billion in U.S. military assistance into Ukraine when Zelenskyy started complaining about all the additional support he wanted but was supposedly not receiving.

Rubio noted further that he was "personally very upset because we had a conversation with President Zelenskyy — the vice president and I, three of us — and we discussed this issue about the mineral rights. We explained to them, 'Look, we want to be in a joint venture with you, not because we're trying to steal from your country, but because we think that's actually a security guarantee. If we're your partner in an important economic endeavor, we get paid back some of the money taxpayers have given, close to $200 billion, and also now we have a vested interest in the security of Ukraine.'"

According to the secretary of state, Zelenskyy indicated in the meeting that he supported the proposed mineral deal, that it made all the sense in the world, and that he would run it through his "legislative process."

"I read two days later that Zelenskyy is out there saying, 'I rejected the deal. I told him no way, that we're not doing that.' Well, that's not what happened in that meeting," said Rubio, adding that it's upsetting particularly when the U.S. is trying to "help these guys."

Rubio defended Trump's recent statements, indicating the message he is attempting to convey is that "he's not going to get gamed here. He's willing to work on peace because he cares about Ukraine, and he hopes Zelenskyy will be a partner in that and not someone who's out there putting this sort of counter-messaging to try to hustle us."

Vance, whom Zelenskyy previously called a "radical" and painted as clueless about the war, noted on X, "What Secretary Rubio is saying here is exactly right."

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