Trump isn't out to hurt Ukraine, Rubio tells Zelensky

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call Tuesday that President Trump hasn't issued any kind of order to harm Ukraine. Why it matters: The call was an effort to prevent the crisis between the U.S. and Ukraine from escalating further — and to push back on Ukrainian accusations that Trump is trying to coerce Zelensky into making concessions to Russia. The 45-minute call took place several hours ahead of a new round of peace talks with White House envoy Steve Witkoff aimed at reaching a unified position with European allies on an updated peace proposal to present to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Driving the news: The crisis broke out 10 days ago when Trump announced a diesel deal with Russia at the same time his envoys were in negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Miami.Zelensky on Monday lobbied a bipartisan group of senators to press the Trump administration to remove what he says are restrictions on intelligence sharing and weapons supplies.Behind the scenes: Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that he clarified to Zelensky that the Pentagon hasn't changed anything when it comes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine, weapons sale…

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