US President Donald Trump might retreat from his efforts to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine if talks do not yield concrete developments in the coming days, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told on Friday.
“We’re not going to drag this out for weeks or months,” Rubio stated during a visit to Paris, following discussions with European and Ukrainian officials. “We need to decide quickly – within days – whether a deal is achievable in the coming weeks. If it is, we’re committed. If not, we’ll shift our focus to other priorities.”
Rubio’s remarks were made against a backdrop of increased irritation within the Trump administration at the failure to make progress on ending the war, as well as other global crises. Though he repeated that Trump continues to desire a resolution, he signaled that further procrastination would be able to shift U.S. attention elsewhere.
Trump’s Claim to End War
Trump, who originally said he could end the war in 24 hours of being in office, later revised his timeline, saying a peace deal could be signed by April or May. But those hopes have been dashed by major hurdles.
France convened a high-level diplomatic meeting on Thursday on Ukraine and regional security. It was the first-known summit of the top U.S., European, and Ukrainian officials on the issue since Trump became president. The talks arrive at a time when there is growing European unease about Trump’s readiness to move closer to Moscow.
At the helm of U.S. diplomatic efforts are Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff. Multiple rounds of negotiations have already been held in Saudi Arabia, and as Rubio reported, Witkoff has met Putin three times in separate encounters.
But progress is elusive. While Ukraine has supported Trump’s request for a wholesale ceasefire, Russia has refused. Rather, Moscow has made conditions specifically, a stop to Ukraine’s military mobilization and an end to Western weapons shipments, both of which Ukraine has soundly rejected.
