Following their public altercation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended President Trump and Vice President Vance.
In anticipation of a possible minerals agreement between the two nations, Zelensky met with Trump, Vance, and other officials in the Oval Office earlier on Friday.
However, Vance’s criticism of Zelensky, who seemed dubious about the prospect of diplomacy with Russia and implied that Russia could not be a reliable partner given its history, quickly caused the discussion to take a drastic turn.
“Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!” Rubio wrote on X.
Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 28, 2025
During the Oval Office discussion, the vice president also asked Zelensky if he had ever shown gratitude to the United States.
Following Zelensky’s suggestion that the United States didn’t “feel” the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump also blasted the Ukrainian leader.
“Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel because you’re in no position … to dictate what we’re going to feel,” Trump observed.
“If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks. It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this.” he added.
With Trump’s side of the GOP less likely to continue providing help to Ukraine, the extraordinary and contentious exchange highlights long-simmering tensions between the Trump administration and Ukraine’s government.
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