Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Russia and Ukraine sternly: the United States is prepared to disengage from peace negotiations within days if tangible progress is not achieved. Speaking from Paris, Rubio emphasized that the U.S. would not continue efforts indefinitely and expects both parties to demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace. This stance reflects President Donald Trump's growing impatience with the ongoing conflict and underscores a shift towards prioritizing American interests in foreign policy. The administration's focus is now on securing a fair and lasting peace deal, emphasizing holding Russia and Ukraine accountable for meaningful concessions.
On Friday, Rubio told reporters that President Trump is prepared to walk away from a potential peace deal if Ukraine and Russia cannot reach an agreement. Rubio said Trump is not willing to wait much longer, stating that if an agreement is "not possible," the president is "probably at a point where he's gonna say, ‘Well, we’re done.’"
“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,” Rubio said.
However, Rubio added that if both nations are "serious about peace,” the U.S. will step in and help facilitate an agreement.
“If it's not gonna happen, then we're just gonna move on," Rubio continued.
This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “good progress” is being made on the rare minerals deal with the U.S.
“The basic legal stuff is almost finalized, and then, if everything moves as quickly and constructively, the agreement will bring economic results to both our countries,” Zelensky said on Wednesday.
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade, echoed Zelensky’s remarks, stating that both sides had signed a “memorandum of intent,” forming the basis of an agreement likely to lead to the joint development of Ukraine’s natural resources with the U.S.
“We are happy to announce the signing, with our American partners, of a Memorandum of Intent, which paves the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of the Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine,” she said. “There is a lot to do, but the current pace and significant progress give reason to expect that the document will be very beneficial for both countries.”
Trump also indicated that a deal is in progress, telling reporters that a comprehensive agreement is expected to be signed next week.
“Well, we have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday — next Thursday [24 April]? Soon. And I assume they’re [Ukraine] going to live up to the deal, so we’ll see. But we have a deal on that,” Trump said on Thursday.
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