This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

PALM BEACH, Florida – U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is now revealing what he calls "riduclous" requests by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky before the fiery exchange Friday with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Appearing on "Sunday Morning Futures" with Maria Bartiromo on the Fox News Channel, Lutnick said: "Forty-five minutes before the meltdown, the fact was Zelensky never stopped asking for, you know, 'I will give no concessions, they've got to leave my land, I want reparations of $300 billion, and I want the United States to give me security guarantees,' while they're at war with Russia.

"And that's why the president called it World War III. You're gambling with World War III.

"We're not gonna give you security guarantees while you're at war with Russia. It's just ridiculous. His requests were ridiculous. They were not reasonable. The president let it go for a while.

"Our president is there to make peace, as he said, end the death. And Zelensky was not there to make peace.

"He was there to strike some make-believe bargain that he had in his mind. And eventually that just ran its course, and Donald Trump said I can't take this nonsense anymore, and made it crystal clear he's the peacemaker, and if Zelensky's not interested in peace, then he should go home and think about it."

Lutnick noted it was extremely disappointing, as ceremonial signing desks and an elaborate lunch had been prepared with the expectation of a rare earth mineral deal being signed, but Zelensky blew the deal.

"This was designed to be beautiful, but instead we had lunch by ourselves," he added.

Later in the program, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who is now CEO of Trump Media, told Bartiromo he expects Zelensky or a representative of Ukraine to come back and sign a deal with America.

"Either him or somebody else," Nunes said, "but they're going to have to end the war and they're gonna have to build economic ties with the West."

On another issue, Lutnick previewed the tariffs Trump is expected to slap on Mexico and Canada this Tuesday as both countries have been complicit in moving Chinese-made fentanyl into the U.S.

"The fentanyl continues to come into this country and continues to murder our people," the Commerce secretary explained. "And the ingredients are made in China they're sent to Mexico and Canada and then they come and attack our country and that's got to end.

"There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada. Exactly what they are, we're gonna leave that for the president and his team to negotiate. … But China's got to stop making these ingredients.

"Remember, in 2019, the Chinese told President Trump at that time that they would put the death penalty on anybody who made fentanyl. And today, they're giving the maximum subsidy they possibly can to the people making those ingredients.

"So the Chinese need to stop this murder of Americans and Donald Trump is the only president who protects the American people."