Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a masterclass in international coverage actuality throughout an interview with far-left CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, following the tumultuous Oval Workplace assembly between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Rubio detailed how the assembly was presupposed to be a turning level for Ukraine, a chance to maneuver towards negotiations with Russia.
As a substitute, Zelenskyy took it in a completely completely different path, aggressively difficult Trump’s peace-first strategy and trying to field the President into an all-or-nothing dedication to limitless funding and army intervention.
Marc Rubio: You guys solely noticed the top. You noticed what occurred as we speak. You don’t see all of the issues that led as much as this. Let me clarify.
The President has been very clear. He campaigned on this. He thinks this struggle ought to have by no means began. He believes, and I agree, that had he been President, it by no means would have occurred. Now, right here we’re.
He’s attempting to convey an finish to this battle. We’ve defined very clearly what our plan is right here, which is we need to get the Russians to a negotiating desk. We need to discover whether or not peace is feasible. They perceive this.
Additionally they perceive that this settlement that was presupposed to be signed as we speak was presupposed to be an settlement that binds America economically to Ukraine, which to me, as I’ve defined, and I believe the President alluded to as we speak, is a safety assure in its personal approach as a result of we’re concerned. It’s not us, it’s our pursuits. That was all defined. That was all understood.
In response to Rubio, this assembly might have been averted had Zelenskyy taken a extra cooperative strategy reasonably than insisting on coming to D.C.
Collins predictably refuses to acknowledge the reckless conduct of Zelenskyy, who, as a substitute of in search of a pathway to peace, selected to grandstand and antagonize Trump contained in the Oval Workplace.
Marc Rubio: However they insisted on coming to D.C. This settlement might have been signed 5 days in the past, however they insisted on coming to Washington. And there was a really, and may have been a really clear understanding: don’t come right here and create such a situation the place you’re going to begin lecturing us about how diplomacy isn’t going to work.
President Zelenskyy took it in that path, and it resulted in a predictable end result consequently. It’s unlucky. That wasn’t presupposed to be this fashion, however that’s the trail he selected, and I believe, frankly, it sends this nation backwards with reference to attaining peace, which is what President Trump needs.
On the finish of the day, he needs this struggle to finish. He’s been as constant as anybody may be about what his goal is right here.
Kaitlan Collins: However what particularly do you need to see President Zelenskyy apologize for?
Marc Rubio: Properly, apologize for turning this factor into the fiasco for him that it turned. There was no want for him to go in there and turn into antagonistic. Look, this factor went off the rails. You had been there, I imagine.
It went off the rails when he stated, “Let me ask you a query,” to the Vice President. “What diplomacy are you speaking about?” Properly, it is a severe factor. I imply, 1000’s of individuals have been killed, 1000’s.
He talks about all these horrible issues which have occurred to prisoners of struggle and youngsters. All true, all unhealthy. That is what we’re coping with right here; it wants to return to an finish. We try to convey it to an finish.
The way in which you convey it to an finish is you get Russia to the desk to speak. He understands that attacking Putin, irrespective of how anybody could really feel about him personally, forcing the President right into a place the place you’re attempting to goad him into attacking Putin, calling him names, maximalist calls for about Russia having to pay for the reconstruction—all of the issues that you simply discuss in a negotiation—whenever you begin speaking about that aggressively, and the President’s a dealmaker, he’s made offers his whole life, you’re not going to get individuals to the desk.
Marc Rubio: You begin to understand that possibly Zelensky doesn’t need a peace deal. He says he does, however possibly he doesn’t.
That lively, open undermining of efforts to result in peace is deeply irritating for everybody who’s been concerned in communications with them main as much as as we speak. I believe he ought to apologize for losing our time for a gathering that was going to finish the way in which it did.
Collins, clearly thrown off by Rubio’s confidence and mastery of the details, tried to nook the Secretary of State on earlier statements concerning Vladimir Putin’s trustworthiness in negotiations.
However Rubio flipped the script and reminded the viewers that President Trump has efficiently negotiated a few of the hardest offers of his profession—and this case isn’t any completely different.
Kaitlan Collins: You your self have stated beforehand that Putin can’t be trusted in negotiations. That was the purpose that President Zelenskyy was in the end making throughout that dialog: that there can’t be an settlement with out safety ensures as a result of he was speaking about all of the ceasefire agreements earlier than, or agreements that Putin has simply blown previous. Do you continue to really feel that approach, that Putin can’t be trusted in these negotiations?
Marc Rubio: Properly, I used to be there yesterday when the President stated in entrance of the media that our strategy goes to be “belief, however confirm.”
President Trump has made offers his whole life. He’s not going to get suckered into some deal that’s not an actual deal. All of us perceive this. We perceive it on our finish for sure.
The objective right here is to get to a spot the place we now have to discover whether or not peace is feasible. I’ve stated this repeatedly. I don’t know. I believe it’s, based mostly on what they’ve stated to date, however we now have to discover that. How else is that this struggle going to finish?
I ask individuals, what’s the European plan to finish this struggle? I can inform you what one international minister instructed me, and I’m not going to say who it was, however I can inform you what one among them instructed me, and that’s that the struggle goes on for an additional yr.
At that time, Russia will really feel so weakened that they’ll beg for peace. That’s one other yr of killing, one other yr of dying, one other yr of destruction. By the way in which, not a really life like plan, in my standpoint.
If there’s an opportunity of peace, even when it’s a 1% likelihood, that must be explored. That’s what President Trump is attempting to do right here.
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Kaitlan Collins: However you your self, sir, have stated earlier than that you simply imagine Putin is a struggle felony, that that could be a broadly accepted truth. You’ve known as him a butcher. You stated that as Secretary of State, you do imagine it’s necessary for somebody with such international affect as you need to communicate with that ethical readability.
Marc Rubio: Yeah. At this second, as Secretary of State, my job working for the President is to ship peace, to finish this battle and finish this struggle. In the end, that’s the job of the State Division.
The State Division doesn’t struggle wars. It ends them. It tries to finish them. That’s often, by the way in which, celebrated. I imply, all through historical past, I’ve watched presidents result in an finish to wars and conflicts, and folks have a good time that.
They applaud it. I believe we needs to be very proud and blissful that we now have a president whose prime goal is to not get into wars, however to stop wars and to get out of wars. That may be a very noble, laudable objective.
Everybody needs to be applauding it, and he needs to be given the house to do this, not undermined by calls for that he name Putin names or that we are saying issues that impede the power to conduct actual diplomacy, because the Vice President stated as we speak.
That is the core difficulty that Rubio laid naked: Zelenskyy isn’t keen on diplomacy—he’s keen on limitless struggle, with the USA footing the invoice.
Rubio reminded the press that Trump supplied Ukraine with the weapons it wanted again in his first time period, whereas Obama and Biden despatched them nothing however blankets. But Zelenskyy refused to indicate even the slightest gratitude in the course of the assembly, as a substitute doubling down on his aggressive calls for.
“There’s information studies on the market from NBC Information, no less than is likely one of the place I recall, reporting that Biden had a shouting match with Zelenskyy for not being grateful and never being grateful for the whole lot that was supplied again in 2022. Now, that didn’t occur in entrance of the press. That was leaked, but it surely obtained on the market. These frustrations usually are not distinctive to President Trump.”
WATCH:
WATCH IN FULL: @SecRubio places on a masterclass as he articulates the Trump Administration’s technique on Ukraine and the assembly with President Zelenskyy. pic.twitter.com/clJDdMnNAn
— Fast Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 1, 2025
