A.G. Gancarski
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he’s “very upset” after Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted the terms of postwar cooperation with the U.S., then seemingly reneged on a key condition.
“We discussed this issue about the mineral rights, and 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,” Rubio told interviewer Catherine Herridge.
“If we’re your partner in an important economic endeavor, we get to get paid back some of the money the taxpayers have given — close to $200 billion. And it also — now we have a vested interest in the security of Ukraine.”
Rubio previously noted that peace could be secured if the U.S. were positioned, post-hostilities, to “partner with Ukraine… for their mineral rights.”
In the interview circulated Thursday, he recounts that Zelenskyy said the proposal “makes all the sense in the world” and said the Legislature would have to approve it — but the Ukrainian leader reversed his rhetoric in short order.
“I read two days later that Zelenskyy is out there saying, ‘I rejected the deal; I told them no way, that we’re not doing that.’ Well, that’s not what happened in that meeting. So, you start to get upset by somebody — we’re trying to help these guys,” Rubio added.
In addition to disputing Zelenskyy’s take on negotiations, he also said that recent comments the Ukrainian leader made about President Donald Trump aren’t helpful or grateful, particularly given that the country is remote to the concerns of most in the United States.
“One of the points the President made in his messaging is: It’s not that we don’t care about Ukraine, but Ukraine is on another continent. It doesn’t directly impact the daily lives of Americans,” Rubio explained.
“We care about it because it has implications for our allies and ultimately for the world. There should be some level of gratitude here about this, and when you don’t see it and you see him out there accusing the President of living in a world of disinformation, that’s highly, very counterproductive.”
20 comments
PeterH
February 21, 2025 at 9:04 am
In other words Zelenskyy had second thoughts on Trump and Rubio’s offer of extortion. Let’s remember that the House voted to impeach Trump for squeezing the same ally to lie about a make believe Biden Ukraine corruption scandal. Rubio should resign….. he’s in over his head.
An Upside-Down World which won’t end well…
February 21, 2025 at 9:09 am
Uhh, Marco, Ukraine is an ally… but then so are Canada, Mexico, Germany, etc., all of whom have been spoken of poorly by the king – so I guess there’s that.
Hmmm….
February 21, 2025 at 9:12 am
BTW Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Germany, etc., are all actual allies – yet they’re treated and spoken of like this.
JD
February 21, 2025 at 9:16 am
“You got a nice shop here. It would be a shame it someone came in and wrecked it. We could help protect you if… you know… we were partners.”
“No thanks.”
“THEY LIED TO ME, THEY SAID WE WOULD BE PARTNERS!”
PeterH
February 21, 2025 at 9:17 am
So Rubio actually believes that Trump doesn’t live in a “disinformation bubble” or does he just want Zelenskyy to shut up and give Ukraine to Putin?
Paul Passarelli
February 21, 2025 at 9:45 am
Penny wise & Pound foolish.
Ukraine is in deep shit. Russia is the deep shit.
Rubio offered a deal, minerals for money & arms, and Ukraine pisses on the papers.
No one here likes Russian aggression. But they are the petulant child and will continue to disrupt no matter what.
Zelenskyy seems to think he’s bargaining from a position of strength. He’s sadly mistaken. What he has is sympathy. The two do not freely convert.
As for JD & Peter H — gosh you two are clueless.
Peachy
February 21, 2025 at 9:48 am
How many tens of billions did we give to Ukraine from aid to defense equipment? The Europeans didn’t do squat. Sorry but the US deserves special treatment in this regard from the Ukraine Government. Without us they would have raised the Russian flag there a long time ago.
TJC
February 21, 2025 at 9:56 am
Bullshit.
MH/Duuuval
February 21, 2025 at 10:42 am
Correct TJC.
FACT: The Europeans have provided an equal amount of support for Ukraine as the US. As usual, Peachy is outright lying, assuming MAGA opponents will not know the difference. (This works for King Don.)
As far as planting the Russian flag in Ukraine: Ukraine draftees and volunteers, many middle-aged, have prevented the Russkies from going any farther than they have.
Peachy often (and tendentiously) goes on about “veterans” here in the US but would disparage the efforts of Ukrainian troops. Peachy has become — along with Trump — a poodle of Putin.
Bob
February 21, 2025 at 12:19 pm
The fact that you have to compare the aid that the entire European continent gave to Ukraine to what the US gave is a problem to begin with. Europe needs to commit more of their budget to deterrence by increasing their military funding. I am tired of all of these countries around the world acting like the US should do more, when our military might is the only reason these countries do not get invaded by Russia or China.
MH/Duuuval
February 21, 2025 at 12:37 pm
If imperial America had behaved more responsibly over the years since WWII perhaps Europe would have already shouldered more of the financial burden. But, in any prospective conflict in Europe, Europeans would pay the price in blood — as during the Cold War when the US put missile batteries aimed at Russia in European countries.
PeterH
February 21, 2025 at 10:50 am
Wrong again! The EU has contributed the same amount to Ukraine as the USA. Look it up!
MH/Duuuval
February 21, 2025 at 9:49 am
Alternatively, Zelensky pivoted after hearing Trump call him names and further embrace Putin?
Great caricature on the cover of a London tabloid this week showing Trump as Putin’s poodle.
Peachy
February 21, 2025 at 10:01 am
Wrong picture. It should be Biden as the poodle. Who was President when Putin invaded Ukraine. More spin from the world wide activist press.
TJC
February 21, 2025 at 10:04 am
Biden stood by Ukraine and stood up to Putin. You’ve got your head up your asswhole.
Enjoy the view.
TJC
February 21, 2025 at 10:03 am
Most of the money paid for the weapons that went to Ukraine was paid directly into U.S. arms manufacturing companies, so most of that money stayed right here in the U.S.
Rubio argues that we only have “a vested interest in the security of Ukraine” if we share mineral rights with them. So much for defending democracy. Freedom isn’t free, it costs mineral rights.
As for gratitude, we should be grateful that the people of Ukraine are fighting for democracy and freedom, losing thousands of lives on the battlefields and in the besieged cities. They could have rolled over and let Putin take away their democracy and freedom, but they didn’t, and that just doesn’t make sense to the likes of Trump and Rubio.
ScienceBLVR
February 21, 2025 at 11:31 am
Oh Marco et all,
So many parallels from the 1950’s tome, The Ugly American, but here’s a couple that seem on point.
…Americans are far more interested in what they can get out of a country than in what they can give..
…The true measure of success in diplomacy is not how many enemies you make, but how many friends you have..
Skeptic
February 21, 2025 at 12:24 pm
Rubio is clutching his pearls because he thinks he was lied to? Does he every listen to the words coming out of his boss’s mouth? Another dodge by a GOP surrender monkey.
MH/Duuuval
February 21, 2025 at 12:27 pm
You want liars?
“Trump and his allies have claimed—without evidence—that USAID is corrupt, but Steven Lee Myers and Stuart A. Thompson of the New York Times reported today that the disinformation making those claims on social media posts, for example, comes from Russia.”
Andy
February 21, 2025 at 10:13 pm
You really are a piece of shit! It was Putin, the COMMUNIST leader who invaded Ukraine, now you taste Trump so well you don’t know the difference between a Communist dictator and a Fascist regime!