Rubio: Trump is "disturbed" by the accusations against him of harming Ukraine

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump is "troubled" by accusations against him of intentionally harming Ukraine, including allegations that he ordered a halt to intelligence sharing.

“The president is upset because, first and foremost, he does not like to be blamed for things that are not true, including accusations that he ordered a cut in intelligence sharing,” Rubio explained during a visit to India.

"I think the president, above all, is responding to insinuations that he is doing things to intentionally harm Ukraine, which is unfair and untrue," he added.

Zelensky: We discussed with Rubio the interception of ballistic missiles and the return of Starlink https://t.co/2Rtx8VWE8Y

Rubio explained from Mumbai, India, that the United States is not deliberately withholding military supplies from Ukraine, pointing out that “it is simply a matter of striking a balance between our obligations to other partners and, frankly, between our own needs related to our facilities as well.”

This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky headed to Oslo, on Tuesday, to meet with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, in an attempt to repair relations with Washington that have deteriorated sharply over the past two weeks, in light of an increasing rapprochement on the part of President Donald Trump towards Moscow. Trump, who suspended the imposition of sanctions on Russia as part of what he says is an effort to reduce fuel prices in the United States, continues to repeatedly criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kiev says Washington has recently failed to provide it with early notification of Russian missile launches, and has also restricted SpaceX satellite communications services used to guide Ukrainian drones.

Trump: We gave a lot to Ukraine, but it gave us nothing... and Zelensky accuses Washington of slowing down support https://t.co/Z7WHxeKIPG

Trump said on Monday, "Frankly, Russia has been cooperative on Ukraine, and Zelensky is not helping much in resolving matters." He called on Kiev to find "someone else to negotiate." Zelensky said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about issues including ballistic missile interception systems, early warning of Russian missile attacks, and "the situation regarding Starlink/StarShield that must be restored," referring to SpaceX's satellite system. "Of course, all of this comes in light of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the ongoing killing of people," Zelensky said in a post on X.

Western European countries consider defending Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion an existential issue for the continent's security, and strongly supported Zelensky, seeking to avoid a deeper division between Washington and Kiev. The United States under Trump has already largely stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine, but it allows European countries to purchase them on behalf of Kiev, and provides intelligence and technology that Europe has nothing to match.