Rubio addresses calls for elections in Ukraine amid ongoing war with Russia

Rubio responded that this was not the main issue at present.

"Look, the issue of elections is being raised, and I'm not saying it's unimportant, but that's not the main reason why the war is still going on," he said.

Rubio added that the main reason was "frustration." He cited strikes on vessels in the Black Sea as an example but did not specify which incident he was referring to.

"I would say the main reason is, first and foremost, frustration, and we've already spoken about this publicly. For example, a month ago, we saw strikes on vessels transporting energy resources in the Black Sea, and we received a lot of complaints because American companies were calling us and saying, 'Hey, our oil was on that ship Ukraine hit,'" he concluded.

Drone attacks in the Black Sea intensified in October. However, Russia's and Ukraine's targets differ fundamentally: Ukrainian forces target only Russian warships and vessels belonging to Russia's shadow fleet. Ukraine does not strike civilian vessels from third countries carrying non-Russian cargo.

On Sept. 22, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces reported that they had struck 300 vessels belonging to Russia's shadow fleet over 11 weeks as part of Operation MoLoChKa.

On Oct. 18, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he considered it his duty to run for a second term if Ukraine holds a presidential election before the war ends.

Trump's call for elections in Ukraine and reactions

On Oct. 10, Trump accused Zelenskyy of failing to end the war despite having had the opportunity to do so. He said Ukraine should elect a new president who could negotiate an end to the war.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded that the Ukrainian people support Zelenskyy and that they alone have the right to decide.

"Statements from abroad only confirm that he is doing his job well," Ukraine's foreign minister said.

On Oct. 11, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would hold elections if Vladimir Putin agreed to a 60-day ceasefire.

On Oct. 12, the Kremlin refused to agree to a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to hold elections.