Item 1 of 2 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the Quai d’Orsay, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart in Paris, France April 17, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS
[1/2]U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the Quai d’Orsay, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart in Paris, France April 17, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA/Pool via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
PARIS, April 18 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will walk away from trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless there are clear signs that a deal can be done, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
“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. If it is we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well,” Rubio said in Paris, after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders.
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Rubio said Trump was still interested in a deal but was willing to move on if there were no immediate signs of progress.
Trump promised during his election campaign to end the war within his first 24 hours in the White House. He moderated that claim on taking office, suggesting a deal by April or May, as obstacles mounted.
Rubio’s comments underline the mounting frustrations over a lack of progress in pushes to settle a growing list of geopolitical challenges.
Reporting by Bart H. Meijer and Dominique Vidalon Writing by Gabriel Stargardter Editing by David Goodman and Andrew Heavens
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