Brief Rubio saidThe warning comes amid some progress in talks with Ukraine. The statement reflects growing frustration with Russia. Trump has promised to end the war in his first days in office.
Rubio said the US needs to decide “within days.”
The warning comes amid some progress in talks over Ukraine.
Diplomats say Rubio’s statement reflects growing frustration with Russia.
Trump has promised to end the war in his first days in office.
PARIS, April 18 (Reuters) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that President Donald Trump would abandon efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if there were no clear signs that a deal could be reached in the coming days. — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that President Donald Trump would abandon efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if there were no clear signs that a deal could be reached in the coming days.
“We’re not going to continue to work for weeks or months. We need to figure out quickly, and I mean in a matter of days, whether this is something that can happen in the next few weeks,” Rubio said in Paris after meetings with European and Ukrainian officials.
“Otherwise, if we get too far apart and we can’t reach an agreement, then I think the president can say, ‘Let’s stop trying.’”
Three European diplomatic sources told Reuters that Rubio’s comments, which coincided with some progress in talks between the United States and Ukraine, reflected growing frustration at the White House over Russia’s tough stance in efforts to end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged progress in peace talks but said further issues with Washington remained difficult. He stressed that Russia was committed to resolving the conflict while protecting its interests and remained open to dialogue with the United States.
Trump said on Thursday he expected to sign a compromise deal with Kyiv next week, after an earlier failure in March that saw tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
In a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Vance offered an optimistic outlook on the United States’ ability to help end the “brutal war.”
Thursday’s talks in Paris marked the first high-level face-to-face exchange on Trump’s peace initiative involving European powers. Rubio said the U.S. peace framework he presented had received “encouraging” feedback, with Zelensky’s office describing the talks as “constructive and positive.”
Frustrations grow as peace deal eludes
Rubio’s comments underscore growing frustration within the White House over the lack of progress on a range of geopolitical issues. There was no immediate comment from Paris, London, Berlin or Kyiv on Rubio’s statement.
Trump promised during his campaign that he would end the war in Ukraine within the first 24 hours of his presidency. After taking office, he revised that statement, suggesting a deal could be reached in April or May as tensions escalated.
Trump has pushed both sides to sit down for talks, threatening to impose tougher sanctions on Russia or halt billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv. Both Ukraine and Russia participated in U.S.-brokered talks in Saudi Arabia that resulted in a temporary ceasefire but no breakthrough. Meanwhile, the fighting has continued, including a Russian missile attack on Sumy in northeastern Ukraine that killed 35 people—an attack Trump called “wrong.”
If Washington abandons its peace efforts, peace initiatives could split, with no country having the power to exert equal pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv.
The implications of a US withdrawal are unclear. The US could maintain its current policy on the conflict, which includes continued sanctions on Russia and aid to Ukraine, or Trump could decide to continue supporting Kyiv.
Rubio said he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the Paris talks and briefed him on the elements of the US peace framework. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions, permanently cede four territories to Russia, and limit its military forces—demands that Kyiv sees as a call to surrender.
Will lifting European sanctions be part of a peace deal?
Rubio said European countries would play a central role in