Ukraine's worst fear confirmed: Rubio criticises Zelenskyy, backs diverting its weapons to West Asia

While tensions simmer in West Asia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday and accused him of lying over US demands. The American diplomat also voiced openness to diverting weapons to Kyiv to support the US attack on Iran.

Earlier, Zelenskyy said in an interview that the US was pressing Ukraine to give up the eastern Donbas region to Russia, which invaded four years ago, before finalising any post-war security guarantees to Kyiv. However, Rubio quickly rejected the Ukrainian leader’s claim. “That’s a lie,”  Rubio told reporters when asked about Mr Zelenskyy’s remarks.

“I saw him say that, and, unfortunately, he would say that, because he knows that’s not true,” the US Secretary of State said in Paris after talks between the Group of Seven nations. “What he was told is the obvious: Security guarantees are not going to kick in until there’s an end to a war, because otherwise you’re getting yourself involved in the war,” he said.

“That was not attached to, unless he gives up territory,” he furthered. Rubio also condemned Zelenskyy for sharing untrue information. “I don’t know why he says these things. It’s not true,” he said.

Ukraine’s worst fear confirmed?

The remarks from Rubio validated the fear that has haunted Kyiv since the Iran war began: That Washington’s shift to the Gulf would come at Ukraine’s direct military expense, not merely its diplomatic expense. Meanwhile, European Nato members are scrambling to assess whether they can fill the gap.

Nato’s annual report, released this week, showed European defence spending rose 20 per cent in 2025 — but the specific interceptor systems Ukraine needs most are in short supply across the alliance.

The attack on Zelenskyy was also striking expecially from Rubio, who was a former hawkish senator who has largely been seen as more supportive of the Ukrainian cause than some others in President Donald Trump’s circles. Recently, the American president has again criticised Zelenskyy for saying that he needs to accept compromises and comparing him unfavourably with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During the Friday presser, Rubio said that the US was open to shifting assistance to Ukraine after the US and Israel attacked Iran. “Nothing yet has been diverted, but it could,” he said. “If we need something for America and it’s American, we’re going to keep it for America first," he added.

However, he maintained that there had been no change to the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, a NATO initiative established after Mr Trump’s return, in which European allies fund weapons requested by Ukraine that are purchased from the United States.

Zelenskyy have been warning that Ukraine will soon face a shortage of missiles to fight against Russia as a result of the Iran war. “For Putin, a long war in Iran is a plus,” Zelenskyy told the BBC earlier this month. “In addition to energy prices, it means the depletion of US reserves, and the depletion of air defence manufacturers. So we [Ukraine] have a depletion of resources.” He added that he has a “very bad feeling” about the consequences of the Iran war for Ukraine, saying negotiations towards peace are being “constantly postponed. There is one reason: war in Iran”. Overall, Ukraine is also closely watching the events in West Asia because its future is also at stake.