The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday of lying about American demands, stating the intention to divert weapons destined for Kyiv to support the war against Iran.
Zelensky stated in an exclusive interview with Reuters that the US was pressuring Ukraine to hand over the eastern Donbass region to Russia before finalizing post-war security guarantees.
Zelensky claimed that President Donald Trump was pressuring Ukraine, not Russia, to end the war. He emphasized that the US was ready to finalize the security guarantees only if Ukraine agreed to withdraw from Donbass.
Rubio refuted Zelensky’s claims as false after discussions with the G7. He emphasized that security guarantees would not take effect until the war ended to prevent involvement in the conflict.
Rubio criticized Zelensky’s statements, which was surprising given Rubio’s typically pro-Ukraine stance. Recent criticisms of Zelensky by Trump compared him unfavorably to Russian President Putin.
Rubio indicated that the US may reconsider aid to Ukraine following actions against Iran but clarified no changes had been made to the Prioritized Urgent Requirements List (PURL) established by NATO allies to fund Ukraine’s weapon requests.
Sources: AFP
