Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly stressed that the United States’ goal is getting Russia to the negotiating table, arguing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky derailed that effort in the Oval Office on Friday by talking about the need for security guarantees, challenging Vice President JD Vance and trying to “Ukraine-splain” history.
“We’re trying to get Putin to a negotiating table,” Rubio said on ABC This Week. “Everyone knows the history here, the back and forth. We understand that. We all understand that. But the question now is, can we get them to a table to negotiate? That’s our goal. Don’t do anything to disrupt that. And that’s what Zelensky did, unfortunately, is he found every opportunity to try to ‘Ukraine-splain’ on every issue.”
“Then he confronts the vice president when the vice president says, ‘The goal here is diplomacy,’ he immediately jumps in, and challenges the vice president, ‘Well, what kind of diplomacy?’” Rubio continued.
Rubio claimed that Trump is the only person “who has any chance” of bringing Putin to the negotiating table to see what it would take to end the war.
“Maybe their claims are what they want, their demands will be unreasonable. We don’t know, but we have to bring them to the table. You’re not going to bring them to the table if you’re calling them names or you’re being antagonistic,” Rubio said.
ABC’s George Stephanopoulos pressed Rubio, asking, “Why is it OK to call Zelensky a dictator, but not, as you say, call Putin names?”
“We’ve spent three years calling Vladimir Putin names. That’s not the point. The point that we’re at now is we’re trying to get the man to a table,” Rubio said. “I would ask everybody this if there are no negotiations, what is the alternative?”
“No one here is claiming Vladimir Putin is going to get the Nobel Peace Prize this year, or that he should be the Man of the Year of the humanitarian association,” Rubio added. “We need to figure out, is there a way to get them to stop the war and the only way you’re going to do that is to get Russians engaged in negotiations.”
Rubio said that he has not any contact with Zelensky since Friday’s Oval Office meeting but did not answer for Trump.
Rubio called security guarantees “deterrence” and said that “everybody understands” that safeguards must be put in place, but the first step is engaging with Russia “to see if it’s even possible.”
“It’s been explained crystal clear to the Ukrainians and the Europeans and everyone else who wants to know for weeks now, for weeks now, and the only thing they were told is, do not do things to derail it. And sadly, President Zelensky, you know, couldn’t contain himself in that regard. I hope this could all be reset. I hope he comes to the realization that we’re actually trying to help his country here, before it suffers thousands of more casualties,” Rubio said.
Asked what concessions he expects Russia to make, Rubio said, “Why would I say that on a news broadcast? That’s what negotiations are about.”
