Rubio stated that Trump is "very disappointed" with Zelensky.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, commenting on Donald Trump's statements, expressed that he believes the U.S. president is "very upset" with the behavior of the Ukrainian leader. Rubio made this remark during an interview with journalist Catherine Herridge.

The day before, Trump referred to Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dictator without elections" with an alleged 4% approval rating, who might "very soon lose the country" if he does not hold elections.

Rubio stated that "in some cases this has been fair" and referenced reports about phone calls between Joe Biden and Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian president supposedly began to express "what we are not doing or what he is not receiving," instead of thanking Washington for its assistance.

"We care about this [about aid to Ukraine], because it has implications for our allies and ultimately for the entire world. There needs to be a certain level of gratitude for this. And when you don’t see that and see him blaming the president for living in a world of disinformation, it’s very counterproductive," Rubio said.

According to him, Trump is not the kind of person who would "sit back and tolerate this."

Rubio also shared that he himself was personally disappointed with Zelensky's behavior after a conversation with him and the U.S. vice president regarding an agreement on the division of Ukraine’s mineral resources.

Rubio stated that Zelensky agreed to conclude this agreement by preparing the legislative groundwork, but two days later announced that he had withdrawn from the deal.

Commenting on negotiations between the U.S. and Russia, Rubio remarked that even at the height of the Cold War, the U.S. and the USSR maintained communication. He noted that he is "not a fan of most of what Vladimir Putin has done," but it is still necessary to talk with Russia, as it is a global power.

Rubio mentioned that the meeting with the Russian delegation in Riyadh was, among other things, a check on whether Moscow is inclined to end the war.

"It may turn out that they do not want to end the war. I don’t know. We will find out. But we need a process to clarify this," Rubio stated.

Territorial issues and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions were not discussed during the negotiations; the meeting had a "different purpose," said the head of the U.S. State Department.

Background. Earlier, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz stated that Trump is "very disappointed" with Zelensky for not signing the agreement on rare earth metals.