Rubio: Ukraine “would not have remained” a sovereign country without American support

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the support provided by President Donald Trump's administration to Ukraine, stressing that this country "would not have existed" without American support.

“Without the aid provided by the United States, including during the Trump administration, there would not be a Ukraine today,” Rubio told reporters on Wednesday, during a visit to India.

“Ukraine would not have remained a sovereign country,” Rubio added.

Rubio's statements came in response to questions about a report published by the American Wall Street Journal, which stated that Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, recently ordered the slowing down of the work of the Starlink satellite system, which helps Ukraine confront deadly Russian air attacks.

The report, quoting American officials and others whose identities were not revealed, stated that Musk discussed the decision to slow down the work of the Starlink system with President Donald Trump after this measure became publicly known.

Rubio explained that he did not know that the president had prior knowledge of the decision, noting that the United States cannot, in all circumstances, control how a private company behaves regarding its products.

Rubio said, in response to questions about the newspaper’s report, “It is not true that we had prior knowledge of the matter or that we directed this action to be taken in any way.”