Washington (TDI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin is tied to the progress on ending the Ukraine war.
He called President Donald Trump the only leader who can end the Ukraine war.
Following the talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, Trump said that he would probably meet Putin before the end of February.
However, the Secretary of State stated that the timing of the meeting largely “depends on the progress on ending the Ukraine war.”
The US Secretary of State also commented about the growing rift between Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He said that even President Joe Biden was frustrated with President Zelenskyy.
When asked about Trump, calling President Zelenskyy “a dictator,” Rubio, said, “I think President Trump is very upset at President Zelenskyy.”
He criticized the Ukrainian President and said, “President Zelenskyy, instead of saying thank you for all your help, is immediately out there messaging what we’re not doing or what he’s not getting.”
He also blamed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for mischaracterizing a discussion they had on giving the US some share in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.
Read More: Trump seeks Ukraine rare earth material
While elaborating on the Washington’s proposal of having a share in Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, the Secretary of State said that it was supposed to be a joint venture, and that would have been a real “security guarantee” for Ukraine.
The taxpayers of the United States have given around $200 billion to Ukraine, the rare earth minerals deal would have brought some of that money back to the United States and also confirmed the US interest in the security of Ukraine, he added.
He said that President Donald Trump is “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 the sort of counter-messaging to try to hustle us in that regard.”
Regarding the concerns of the European leaders of being “excluded from the talks on Ukraine,” the US Secretary of State said, “It’s also not true that we haven’t consulted with our allies in Europe …. We talked to them before those meetings, the same five, plus the G7, plus the EU and all the other meetings we had in Munich. So, this is just not accurate.”
When asked about the future of Ukrainian territories that have been annexed by Russia, he briefly commented that they “didn’t engage in any specifics about territories.
Read More: Zelenskyy meets US envoy to Discuss Security Guarantees
Trump, since the beginning of his term as President, has expressed his desire to end the war in Ukraine.
According to the White House, President Trump said, “Russia has lost 900,000 soldiers. I think that Ukraine has lost probably 700,000, and it’s a terrible thing.”
He had criticized President Zelenskyy and said, “I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job. His country is shattered, and millions and millions of people have unnecessarily died. And you can’t bring a war to an end if you don’t talk to both sides. You got to talk. They haven’t been talking for three years.”
Commenting on the US defense spending in Ukraine, Trump stated that President “Zelenskyy had talked the United States of America into spending nearly $350 billion to go into a war that basically couldn’t be won.”
Read More: How European leaders are taking interest in solving Ukraine issue?
Trump also blamed the European leaders for failing to bring peace to Ukraine.
It is important to note that the European leaders have criticized the United States for unilaterally holding US-Russia peace talks on Ukraine.
Responding to these allegations, JD Vance, the US Vice President said, “The president is trying to achieve a lasting peace, not massage the egos or anxieties of people waving Ukraine flags.”
In this thread I’ll respond to some of what I’ve seen out there. Let’s start with Niall:
1) On the general background, yes, you have been more right than wrong on a lot of the details of the conflict. Which is why I’m surprised to hear you call the administration’s posture… https://t.co/w7OQemI3R7
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 21, 2025
He also elaborated on why the US does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine would be a realistic outcome of any negotiated peace settlement with Russia.
He said, “The idea that the President of the United States has to start the negotiation by saying maybe we’ll let Ukraine into NATO defies all common sense.”
He said that it is not “appeasement to acknowledge the realities on the ground–realities President Trump has pointed to for years in some cases.”
Read More: US, Russia Discuss Ties, Ukraine, Security
The recent remarks of the US officials indicate that the United States wants to increase the pressure and move forward with the peace process.
The United States National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz had also noted that President Trump is “obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelenskyy,” because President Zelenskyy has not been willing to take the opportunity that the Unites States has offered.
In the coming week, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the United States.
The two leaders will discuss the concerns of President Zelenskyy and the European leaders with President Trump.
