US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Friday that the US might withdraw from peace efforts in Ukraine if discussions continue to stall, following a series of meetings in Paris involving American, European and Ukrainian representatives.
"We need to determine in the coming days if [peace] is feasible or not," Rubio stated at Paris' Le Bourget airport. "If it isn't possible, we need to move on because the United States has other priorities."
American President Donald Trump has spent 87 days at the highest levels of his administration trying to end the war, according to Rubio. He originally gave his envoys 100 days to achieve this goal.
Rubio mentioned that the UK, France and Germany could help advance peace efforts. He praised their ideas as very useful and constructive during discussions in Paris.
"We will be ready to help when you are ready for peace, but we won't continue this effort for weeks and months," Rubio warned. He reminded that the war, which started in February 2022 with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is taking place on the European continent.
"If it's not possible, if we're so far apart that peace won't happen, then I think the [US] President will probably reach a point where he says: 'Enough is enough'," Rubio insisted. "We need to determine very quickly – I mean in days – whether it's feasible in the coming months."
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Since entering into office in January, President Trump has made an attempt to build a rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine. However, negotiations have stalled.
Under pressure from Washington, Kyiv agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which was ignored by Russia. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with the Russian President for the third time in early April.
Paris and London have established a "coalition of the willing," consisting of around 30 allies of Ukraine, focused on creating a "reassurance force" to guarantee a ceasefire and prevent further Russian aggression.
However, a multinational military contingent in the event of peace, desired by Kyiv, remains a red line for Moscow.
New Russian strikes targeted several major Ukrainian cities on Thursday night, resulting in at least two deaths and 40 injuries, according to Ukrainian authorities.
