Rubio: Zelensky owes Trump a public apology

A heated showdown erupted between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky inside the Oval Office. What started as a diplomatic meeting quickly spiraled into chaos. Trump took offense at how the Ukrainian president treated his vice president, JD Vance. Now, Senator Marco Rubio says Zelensky must apologize.

Rubio claims the media only showed the explosive moment but ignored what led up to it. “You guys only saw the end, you don’t see all the things that led up to this. The president’s been very clear on this, he campaigned on this. He thinks this war should have never started and I agree that had he been president it never would have happened,” Rubio stated.

A plan for peace?

Trump’s team wants peace talks. They aim to bring Russia to the table. But Rubio suggests Zelensky may not even want peace. “Maybe Zelensky doesn’t want a peace deal. That act of open undermining is deeply frustrating for everyone who’s been involved. He should apologize for wasting our time.”

According to Rubio, Trump has explained his plan clearly. “Now here we are, he’s trying to bring an end to this conflict, we’ve explained very clearly what our plan is here: we want to get the Russians to a negotiating table, we want to explore whether peace is possible.” But Zelensky’s actions have made it difficult.

The build-up to disaster

Rubio argues this meeting was doomed from the start. The US and Ukraine were supposed to finalize a rare earth minerals deal. Instead, it turned into a diplomatic disaster. Rubio believes Zelensky stirred the pot and should own up to the fiasco. “Apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco that it became,” he said, in reference to Zelensky.

“Don’t come here and create a scenario where you’re going to start lecturing us about how diplomacy isn’t going to work. Zelensky took it in that direction and it ended in a predictable outcome as a result.” The senator believes the entire lead-up to the meeting made the dramatic fallout inevitable.

Biden’s ‘meat grinder’ strategy

Rubio slammed Joe Biden’s Ukraine policy. He said the previous administration funded a “stalemate” that cost lives. “Biden was funding a stalemate, funding a meat grinder and the Russians have more meat to grind,” he said. According to him, Trump and Vance’s policies aim to correct Biden’s failures.

Anchor Kaitlan Collins asked if Trump and Zelensky could mend their relationship. Rubio reminded her that Biden also lost his temper with Zelensky in 2022. “I think anything is possible but it has to go back to the point that President Trump is involved in this to bring about enduring, lasting peace.”

A stunning confrontation

White House insiders deny the clash was planned. A senior official says Trump started off friendly, but things went south when Zelensky took a jab at Vance. “Zelensky should not have gone after JD,” said a senior White House official. That remark set Trump off. He immediately jumped to defend his VP, escalating tensions.

Trump had even made a lighthearted comment about Zelensky’s outfit before the cameras rolled. But when Zelensky insulted Vance, things turned serious. “This was not planned at all,” said one source familiar with the situation, denying it was any kind of premeditated ambush.

Trump stands by his VP

After Zelensky’s comments, Trump had had enough. He defended Vance, who accused Ukraine of being ungrateful for US aid. “Have you ever been to Ukraine that you see the problems we have?” Zelensky asked Vance. But Vance dismissed his concerns. “I have been to – I’ve actually, I’ve actually watched and seen the stories, and I know what happens is you bring people. You bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President.”

Trump then weighed in. “You’ve allowed to be in a very bad position, and it happens to be right about that. You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.” Zelensky shot back, “I’m not playing cards.” The tension in the room was palpable.

Zelensky stands firm

Zelensky defended Ukraine’s position. He said the minerals deal was just a step toward security. More importantly, he stressed the need for real peace. “We have a tough situation, to understand it is to be in Ukraine.” But he also pushed back on Trump’s claims. “No. First of all, we want peace, that’s why we are in the US. The deal on minerals is the first step to security guarantees, it’s the first step closer to peace. We have a tough situation, to understand it is to be in Ukraine.“

Despite pressure, Zelensky refused to apologize. In a Fox News interview, he insisted Ukraine is grateful for US support. “We’re thankful to Americans for all your support, you did a lot, I’m thankful to President Trump and Congress’ bipartisan support.” But he wouldn’t back down.

When asked again, he refused and defended his position. “We have to be honest and we have to be direct with each other. Nobody wants to finish more than we because we are in this war, in this battle for freedom for our lives.” Zelensky also questioned Trump’s loyalty. “I want President Trump to be more on our side.”

The real stakes

He stood firm on Ukraine’s resistance against Russia. “I respect my soldiers and our people, our civilians who work and support our warriors. I can’t just say stop because everyone is afraid that Putin will come back tomorrow.” He added that diplomacy is still Ukraine’s goal. “Ukraine wants peace and we will have diplomacy, we will have negotiations. It’s about just and lasting peace, we have to be very strong at the table of negotiations.”

Will Trump and Zelensky reconcile?

In the end, Zelensky stayed diplomatic. He respects Trump but insists Ukraine won’t change its stance on Russia. “I think this kind of spat is not good for both sides. I can’t change our Ukrainian attitude to Russia. They are killers for us. This is very clear that Americans are the best friends, Europeans are the best friends. It doesn’t mean that we don’t want peace, we recognize the reality of the situation.”

Despite the fiery clash, Zelensky holds onto hope. “Yes, of course, because it’s relations more than two presidents. It’s strong relations between our people and that’s why I always thank your people from our people.” But with tensions this high, will Trump and Zelensky ever see eye to eye?