Rubio denies US deliberately withholding support from Ukraine

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday and said nothing was being deliberately withheld from Ukraine, after Kyiv raised concerns about delayed Patriot interceptor missiles and restricted access to the Starlink and Starshield satellite networks, according to TVNET and TA3.

Zelensky said on social media the call was "substantive" and focused on three issues: interceptor missiles needed to protect lives, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, and restoring the Starlink and Starshield networks. He thanked Rubio for a "constructive discussion" and said the two had agreed to speak again soon.

Rubio, speaking during a visit to India, rejected as "scandalous" and untrue accusations that President Donald Trump was deliberately trying to harm Ukraine, Slovak broadcaster TA3 reported. He said he had told Zelensky by phone that military and intelligence cooperation between the two countries "has not changed."

Rubio acknowledged that a shipment of Patriot interceptor missiles bought by European allies for Ukraine may not yet have been delivered, but said the delay was not due to political intent. "Nothing is being deliberately denied to Ukraine. It is simply a balance between our commitments to other partners," he said, according to TA3.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov told the BBC that US intelligence sharing remained incomplete and inconsistent, which he said was costing Ukrainian lives, describing the restrictions as a form of pressure on Kyiv. Rubio dismissed this as inaccurate, saying any missed Russian ballistic missile attacks were down to "technical matters," not reduced US information-sharing, Czech outlet iDNES.cz reported.

Separately, Trump said on Monday that Russia's conduct toward Ukraine "isn't doing much" and was "fine," Czech broadcaster CT24 reported, on the same day Russian strikes killed six people, including two children, in the Kharkiv region. He said a possible three-way summit with Russia and China would focus on nuclear disarmament rather than Ukraine, and praised Vladimir Putin's restraint in Ukraine and Iran.