Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated Tuesday that there needs to be concrete proposals from Russia and Ukraine immediately to end the war.
Rubio warned that, should there be no progress, the U.S. will have to step back as a mediator, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, referring to a statement from the secretary.
“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” Bruce said. “How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to the President [Trump]. If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process.”
The U.S. seeks a “complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict” not a “three-day moment so you can celebrate something else.”
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two.
However, Ukraine is questioning why Russia would not agree to its calling for an immediate ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.
Both countries have tried to show President Trump that they are making progress towards a peace deal.
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In the meantime Ukraine wants to sign a minerals agreement with the U.S. on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian officials, although it isn’t known if the Trump administration is ready.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyha told Ukrainian TV outlet Telemarathon that “[W]e are finalizing the last details with our American colleagues. As soon as all the final details have been finalized, I hope that the agreement will be signed in the near future, within the next 24 hours.”
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