Defying international outcry, Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the fracas that erupted in the Oval Office on Friday.
Speaking with host Kaitlin Collins on CNN’s The Source, Rubio said on Friday that Zelensky should “apologize for turning this thing into the fiasco for him that it became.”
“There was no need for him to go in there and become antagonistic,” Rubio said, suggesting the meeting had “gone off the rails” because Zelensky had suggested the United States couldn’t trust Russia’s assurances.
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“We’re trying to bring it to an end, and the way you bring it to an end is you get Russia to the table and to talk,” Rubio added, heaping praise on Trump for not succumbing to Ukraine’s supposed attempts to “goad” the U.S. president into “attacking Putin, calling him names.”
Collins quickly seized on Rubio’s final argument, pointing out that, much like Zelensky, the secretary of State has repeatedly warned that President Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted.
But Rubio wasn’t to be thrown off balance, lavishing praise on Trump for his dealmaking skills.
“President Trump’s made deals his entire life. He’s not gonna get suckered into some deal that’s not a real deal,” Rubio said. “If there’s a chance of peace, even if it’s a one percent chance, that needs to be explored, and that’s what President Trump is trying to do here.”
