Secretary of State Marco Rubio isn’t mincing words when it comes to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s handling of negotiations with the Trump administration. In an interview with Catherine Herridge posted on X, Rubio made it clear that Zelensky has been misrepresenting key discussions—especially regarding a potential deal to share Ukraine’s mineral rights.
Rubio’s frustration boiled over when discussing how Zelensky publicly rejected a proposal that, according to Rubio, he had privately signaled support for. The deal in question? A joint venture between the U.S. and Ukraine over mineral rights, not as an act of exploitation, but as a means of securing both economic and military stability. The idea was simple: if the U.S. has a financial stake in Ukraine’s economic future, it also strengthens the case for continued security guarantees.
“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 said. “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 gives us a vested interest in the security of Ukraine.”
EXCLUSIVE: Our full, unedited interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio(@SecRubio) on his first 30 days leading the Department.
Restarting U.S./Russia relations following the Biden Administration, direct engagement with Ukraine, U.S. proposal for Gaza, preventing Iranian… pic.twitter.com/cxkHmNZWw0
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) February 21, 2025
But what happened next infuriated the Trump administration. After privately agreeing that the proposal made sense—pending approval from Ukraine’s legislature—Zelensky suddenly reversed course in public statements, claiming he had outright rejected the deal.
“I read two days later that Zelensky 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,” Rubio stated.
This episode seems to have deepened Trump’s frustrations with Zelensky, leading to his now-viral Truth Social post calling the Ukrainian leader a “dictator without elections.” Rubio acknowledged that while Trump’s blunt style may not sit well with everyone, his message was clear: Ukraine needs to stop playing political games with U.S. support.
And Trump isn’t the first American president to get frustrated with Zelensky. Rubio pointed out that even Joe Biden had angry exchanges with the Ukrainian president, with reports surfacing of Biden cursing at Zelensky over his constant demands for more aid.
“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. “There should be some level of gratitude here… 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.”
Rubio reveals why everyone in the administration is pissed at Zelensky.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 21, 2025
For Trump, this isn’t about abandoning Ukraine—it’s about negotiating from a position of strength and making sure U.S. interests aren’t taken for granted. Rubio summed up Trump’s approach perfectly:
“He sent a message that he’s not going to get gamed here. He’s willing to work on peace because he cares about Ukraine, and he hopes Zelensky will be a partner in that—not someone who’s out there putting out counter-messaging to try to hustle us.”
