Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday night on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, demanding an apology for turning a White House meeting into a “fiasco” that undermined President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Rubio, who was in the room during the explosive Oval Office clash earlier that day, defended Trump’s ceasefire drive and cast doubt on Zelenskyy’s commitment to peace, while leaving the door ajar for a reset in U.S.-Ukraine relations.
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“You guys only saw the end,” Rubio told Collins, arguing Zelenskyy’s outburst—where he challenged Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance on diplomacy—capped a tense 10-day lead-up marked by Ukrainian resistance to U.S. strategy. “The President’s been very clear; he campaigned on this … He’s trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
Rubio detailed a plan to lure Russia to the table, tied to a now-canceled minerals deal meant to bind U.S. economic interests to Ukraine as a “security guarantee in its own way.” He accused Zelenskyy of derailing it despite repeated briefings: “Don’t come here and … start lecturing us about how diplomacy isn’t going to work.”
Collins pressed Rubio on what Zelenskyy should apologize for, hours after the Ukrainian leader told Fox News he owed no regrets.
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“Apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco … There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” Rubio replied, pinpointing Zelenskyy’s jab at Vance—“What kind of diplomacy are you talking about?”—as the moment it “went off the rails.” He argued such public sparring, plus “maximalist demands” like Russian reparations, sabotaged Trump’s deal-making instincts. “You start to perceive that maybe Zelenskyy doesn’t want a peace deal,” Rubio said, calling it a “waste of our time.”
Rubio rebuffed Zelenskyy’s core argument—that Putin’s history of breaking deals, like a 2019 ceasefire, demands U.S. security guarantees—insisting peace must come first. “Our approach is going to be trust but verify,” he said, echoing Trump’s Thursday remarks. “How else is this war going to end? … If there’s a 1 percent chance [of peace], that needs to be explored.” He dismissed European alternatives as unrealistic, citing one minister’s hope Russia would “beg for peace” after another year of carnage—a plan he called “not very realistic.”
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Collins seemed uniformed about the reason for the meeting between the leaders on Friday, asking Rubio, “President Trump said just when he was leaving the White House after that meeting that he doesn’t think President Zelenskyy wants peace. But isn’t that why the Ukrainian leader was in the Oval Office for that meeting today?”
The secretary bristled at the suggestion Trump doubts Zelenskyy’s desire for peace, clarifying the Ukrainian was there “to sign a minerals rights deal,” not just to talk peace. Yet, he questioned Zelenskyy’s motives: “Does he just think we have to do whatever he says … without any end game?”
Rubio contrasted Trump’s approach with Biden’s “funding a meatgrinder,” noting Russia’s ruthless tactics—conscript waves and North Korean troops—outpace Ukraine’s losses. “This is high-stakes international diplomacy,” he said, not a name-calling contest.
Collins challenged Rubio’s past labels of Putin as a “war criminal” and “butcher,” asking if he still saw moral clarity as key. “My job working for the President is to deliver peace,” Rubio countered, pivoting from Senate rhetoric to diplomacy. “We should be proud … we have a President whose prime objective is … to prevent wars.” On whether the Trump-Zelenskyy rift can heal, he was cautiously hopeful: “Anything is possible … but it has to go back to … bringing about an enduring and lasting peace.” He urged Zelenskyy to shift tone, warning, “Tonight, people will die in this conflict.”
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As for a Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy summit, Rubio called it “premature,” stressing “a lot of work” remains behind closed doors. With the minerals deal shelved and U.S. aid in question, Rubio framed Trump as “the only one on Earth” with a shot at peace—a mantle he’ll guard fiercely, Zelenskyy’s defiance notwithstanding.
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