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US President Donald Trump will stop trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless there are clear signs that a deal can be done, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio | File Image/AFP
President Donald Trump will abandon efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days if there are no clear signs of progress, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
Speaking in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, Rubio said that President Trump will not continue peace deal efforts for long as the US have other priorities as well.
“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks. If it is we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well,” Rubio was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Trump, who vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war during the presidential campaign, said on several occasions that a conclusion to the ongoing efforts could be seen by May. However, the efforts have faced several massive setbacks.
Meanwhile, Rubio’s comments reflect the Trump administration’s increasing frustration with the slow pace of progress in resolving issues between Russia and Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov On Negotiation Talks
Amid a series of reported drone strikes between Kyiv and Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the ongoing negotiation talks with US officials have so far failed to produce any significant progress in resolving the conflict.
In an interview on Tuesday, Lavrov confirmed that despite several rounds of talks, major differences persist between the two countries on crucial elements of a potential agreement. However, he noted that Moscow is willing to continue discussions with the US.
“There is a noticeable difference in tone and intent between President Trump and former President Joe Biden,” he said, adding that Russia could see more of “common sense” and strategic flexibility in the Trump administration.
Last week, Steve Witkoff, a close associate of Donald Trump, held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg — marking their third encounter and the first to be officially disclosed.
In the last few months, several top US officials, including Rubio and Witkoff, have helped lead US efforts to seek peace. Many rounds of negotiations were also held in Saudi Arabia.
