New Delhi: The US is willing to abandon its efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine in the coming days if there is no progress soon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday as he departed from Paris following talks with delegations from Ukraine, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
“I think it’s important to remind everybody that the Ukraine war is a terrible thing, but it’s not our war. We didn’t start it. The United States has been helping Ukraine for over the last three years and we want it (the war) to end. But it’s not our war … We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term. Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on, from our perspective,” said Rubio in comments to the press.
“And the reason why I make that point is the President [Trump] has spent 87 days at the highest level of this government repeatedly taking efforts to bring this war to an end. We are now reaching a point where we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not, which is why we’re engaging both sides.”
The ultimatum from the US Secretary of State comes as a breakthrough remains elusive in the ceasefire talks between Moscow and Kyiv.
It is unclear whether Rubio’s comments are specific to abandoning work on the ceasefire deal, or whether it includes the cessation of Washington’s overall support for Kyiv in the ongoing war.
Rubio’s attempt to increase the pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv comes after a number of meetings between its Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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Russian demands, Ukrainian position
Witkoff most recently met Putin last Friday (11 April). After the meeting, he indicated that Russia’s willingness for peace hinges on the fate of the five Ukraine territories that Moscow currently occupies—Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Kyiv has rejected any deal that includes the ceding of its territories.
The Special Envoy is reported to have informed President Trump about Russia’s position last week. Ukraine has consistently rejected Russia’s maximalist positions to see an end to the war.
Last month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an exclusive interview with ThePrint outlined the three red-lines for Kyiv for any deal with Moscow: Ukraine will not compromise on its territorial integrity, limit its military capacities or allow third countries to veto its right to join military alliances.
Last month Trump had spoken to both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and received confirmation that they both intend to halt strikes on the other’s energy infrastructure for 30-days. However, this partial ceasefire has since stalled.
The war in Ukraine began in February 2022 when Russia announced a “special military operation” and has continued since. Trump on the election trail and since assuming the presidency in January 2025 has made securing peace in the war a key pillar of his foreign policy.
“I think from the US perspective, we’ve spent three years, billions of dollars supporting the Ukrainian side, and—but now we’ve reached the point where we have other things we have to focus on. We’re prepared to be engaged in this as long as it takes, but not indefinitely, not without progress,” said Rubio Friday.
The talks in Paris was the first-of-its-kind which involved three European delegations along with Ukraine in discussion with US representatives.
“I think they can help us. I think the UK and France and Germany can help us move the ball on this and then get this closer to a resolution. I thought they were very helpful and constructive with their ideas… This is happening on the continent of Europe and so obviously European powers will care deeply about what happens,” Rubio explained on the role Europe can have in any deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The US has been pressuring Ukraine to force an end to the war. Earlier in the year, Zelenskyy visited Washington to sign a deal on critical minerals with Trump, which ended in disaster. The signing of the deal was cancelled. The Trump administration had at one point suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv as a means to bring Ukraine to the table.
The deal is back on the table with Kyiv and Washington signing an initial memorandum Thursday, paving the way for an expansive deal, which likely will create an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine as well as an economic partnership between the two countries.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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President Trump and his team have very clear priorities. They have an uncluttered mind and a solid understanding of US interests.
It’s great that they realize that Ukraine war is of no concern at all for the USA.
If the UK, Germany and France feel so threatened by the Russians, they should prepare for their own defence. They must not drag NATO into everything.