Rubio Warns U.S. Could ‘Move on’ From Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

Date: 18 April 2025 - 23:16

News ID: ۱۳۸۶۱۲

PARIS (Dispatches) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the U.S. may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.
He spoke in Paris after landmark talks among U.S., Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress. A new meeting is expected next week in London, and Rubio suggested that could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement.
“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,” Rubio told reporters. “Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on. It’s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on.”
He said the U.S. administration wants to decide “in a matter of days.”
Rubio’s comments stepped up pressure on both sides to reach a peace deal, even as the U.S. and Ukraine made progress on a minerals agreement that Trump has sought to recoup billions of dollars in military assistance that Washington sent Kyiv since Russia’s full scale invasion in February 2022.
They also indicated the road to a complete truce will be long and mired with contention, despite U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly claiming on the campaign trail that he could end the war within a day. Trump said last month that he was “being a little bit sarcastic” when he claimed that.
“We think we have some interesting things to report on, of course in private,” he said. On the negotiations, “I won’t prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war, this very brutal war, to a close.”
He didn’t give more details.
Rubio’s comments came as the U.S. and Ukraine are nearing a long-delayed deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources, which has been intertwined with President Donald Trump’s peace push. Trump said Thursday: “We have a minerals deal.’’ Ukraine’s economy minister said Friday that the two countries signed a memorandum of intent ahead of a possible fuller agreement later.
The deal, which Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said she signed with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is expected to pave the way for significant investments, infrastructure modernization and long-term cooperation.
The framework of the mineral deal had stalled in February following a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Negotiations have since resumed.
Despite apparent impatience with the peace efforts, Rubio called Thursday’s Paris talks constructive. He didn’t single out Russia or Ukraine as blocking peace efforts. He said he informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the outlines that emerged, but wouldn’t say how Lavrov reacted.
Russian officials have expressed skepticism about the feasibility of a ceasefire with Ukraine, claiming that Kyiv and its backers in Europe are actively undermining U.S. peace efforts.
When asked about Rubio’s comments on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “fairly complex” negotiations are ongoing between Russia and the U.S. He did not give details but said no direct talks between Trump and Putin are scheduled in the coming days.
“Russia is striving toward resolving this conflict, securing its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We are continuing to do this,” he said.