Rubio Dismisses Question About Trump-Zelensky Relationship During Ceasefire Announcement: 'This is not Mean Girls. This is Very Serious'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed questions about whether the relationship between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "back on track" after Ukraine agreed to terms for a 30-day ceasefire in the countries' three-year-long war on Tuesday.

"This is not Mean Girls," said Rubio, seemingly angered by the question. He then added:

"This is not some episode of some television show, this is very serious. Today people will die in this war. They died yesterday, and sadly, unless there's a cease fire tonight, they'll die tomorrow. The president wants that to stop. That's what he's interested in here, that's why we came here"

The U.S. lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine following the discussions. Kyiv signaled willingness to enter a 30-day ceasefire, pending Russian agreement. "Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it'll be up to them to say yes or no," Rubio stated.

The meeting in Jeddah marked the first high-level engagement since Trump and Zelenskyy's heated Oval Office exchange in February. U.S. officials suggested that positive dialogue could shorten the suspension of aid.

Ukraine reportedly proposed a ceasefire covering the Black Sea, the release of prisoners, and an agreement granting U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals—a deal Trump seeks. Rubio clarified the minerals agreement was not a precondition for continued talks but said negotiations on specifics could take time.

Meanwhile, hostilities continued throughout Tuesday. Ukraine launched its largest drone attack of the war, targeting 10 Russian regions, while Moscow fired 126 drones and a ballistic missile in response. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia would be briefed on the Jeddah talks but did not indicate whether Moscow would accept Ukraine's proposal, as TIME reports.