US secretary of state Marco Rubio has remarked that Ukraine "would not exist" if it were not for assistance from the United States. The top diplomat's comments come as ties between Washington and Kyiv hit a new low amid the ongoing war with Russia.
During his visit to India, Rubio told reporters that Ukraine as a sovereign state would not exist if the US had not come to its aid.
“If it were not for the assistance of the United States, including under the Trump administration, there would be no Ukraine right now,” said Rubio.
Deep Dive
What did Marco Rubio say about US assistance to Ukraine?
Why have US-Ukraine ties deteriorated?
Has Ukraine resumed receiving early warnings of Russian missile attacks?
The secretary of state's remarks came in response to a question regarding reports of a slowdown in the Starlink satellite system for war-hit Ukraine.
Also Read | Elon Musk ordered Starline slowdown that disrupted Ukraine’s drone operations: Report
Responding to reporters, Rubio stated that the administration was not aware of this matter, adding that the government can’t control what a private company does with its product.
{{/usCountry}}Responding to reporters, Rubio stated that the administration was not aware of this matter, adding that the government can’t control what a private company does with its product.
{{/usCountry}}The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that a slowdown in satellite services to Ukraine was done after Elon Musk, a Trump ally, had talked about it with officials from the Trump administration.
“The president has nothing to do with the decisions that are made by Starlink and Starshield and by Mr. Musk. That's a private company; the president doesn't run that company and can't direct that company to do anything... I'm telling you, there was no foreknowledge,” said Rubio.
US, Ukraine ties turn sour
Over the past few weeks, ties between the United States and Ukraine have deteriorated, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing US President Donald Trump of trying to coerce his country into capitulating to Russia.
Zelensky's remarks come after Trump waived off the sanctions on Russian crude oil and its trade, and struck a deal with Moscow over diesel gas.
Amid the tensions between Trump and Zelensky, the Ukrainian President held "positive talks" with special envoy Steve Witkoff.
"It was positive, nothing unexpected, nothing surprising, and he'll now, armed with those ideas, be able to go to Saint Petersburg and share them with the Russian side -- and let's see if we can make some progress," Rubio told reporters in India.
Meanwhile, Trump has called on the Ukrainian president to "make a deal."
"We want Zelensky to make a deal. He can make a deal. He could have made a deal two years ago when we had our little chat in the Oval Office," Trump told reporters on Tuesday (local time).
"He's going to have to want to make a deal, because I don't think his people are going to stand for it any longer," the US president added.
The remarks come after POTUS accused Zelensky of "not wanting the war to end" in response to the Ukrainian leader's criticism of the diesel gas deal.
“Zelensky doesn't care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him... he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did," Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.