U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to apologize for his recent clash with American leader Donald Trump. Rubio expressed his discontent in an interview with CNN, calling the encounter a "fiasco" and suggesting that Zelensky does not need to take an antagonistic stance.
In his statements, Rubio questioned whether Zelensky is truly committed to seeking a peace agreement with Russia, with which Ukraine has been in conflict for over three years. The Secretary of State criticized Zelensky's "maximalist" public attitude and advocated for addressing differences at the negotiating table rather than adopting aggressive stances.
For his part, Zelensky dismissed the possibility of apologizing for the altercation in the Oval Office, arguing that he was only being honest and lamenting that the discussion took place in the presence of the media. Following the live confrontation with Trump, Zelensky was informed that he had to leave the White House, thus canceling the scheduled lunch and press conference with the American president.
Rubio was present during the dispute and was the one who communicated to Zelensky the decision to withdraw from the White House. Tensions between Ukraine and the United States have escalated, marking a low point in bilateral relations since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
