Rubio accuses Zelenskyy of undermining US efforts on peace talks

"Can we get them (Ukraine and Russia -ed.) to a table to negotiate? That’s our goal. Don’t do anything to disrupt that. And that’s what Zelenskyy did. Unfortunately, he found every opportunity to try to ‘Ukraine-splain’ on every issue. Then he confronts the vice president," Rubio said.

According to Rubio’s comments, when US Vice President JD Vance emphasized the importance of diplomacy, Zelenskyy intervened, seemingly challenging his statements.

"Well, what kind of diplomacy? So, we all understand, okay, that Putin is not going to be an easy negotiator in this regard. No one here is claiming Vladimir Putin is going to get the Nobel Peace Prize this year or that he should be the Man of the Year of the Humanitarian Association. We are arguing that he has a very large country," Rubio noted.

Rubio also pointed out that the Russians are in a state of full military readiness and are rapidly deploying weapons. He said that it is now crucial to determine whether it is possible to force Russia to stop the war.

"And the only way you're going to do that is to get Russians engaged in negotiations, something the Europeans haven't been able to do, the Biden administration wasn't able to do or didn't even try," he concluded.

Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance dispute

On Friday, February 28, Zelenskyy visited the US.

However, during a press conference at the White House, a dispute arose between Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.

The parties debated Russia's war against Ukraine and security guarantees, which led to an early conclusion of the meeting between the leaders. Additionally, the deal on minerals is not being signed.

For more details, read RBC-Ukraine's article.