Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Ukraine-Russia peace talks need to make progress “within a matter of days” or President Donald Trump will be “done” with the negotiations.
Seeking peace between the two countries has been a top priority of the Trump administration after the president vowed on the campaign trail to end the war within the first day of taking the oath of office. The peace negotiations, however, have appeared to come to a standstill, and the Trump administration’s patience is wearing thin.
“So we came here yesterday to sort of begin to talk about more specific outlines of what it might take to end the war, to try to figure out very soon,” Rubio told reporters in Paris. “And I’m talking about a matter of days, not a matter of weeks – whether or not this is a war that can be ended. If it can, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to facilitate that and make sure that it happens, that it ends in a durable and just way.”
“If it’s not possible – if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen – then I think the president’s probably at a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done,” he added. “We’ll do what we can on the margins. We’ll be ready to help whenever you’re ready to have peace. But we’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end.”
Rubio’s comments come just a few days after Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that the countries “might be on the verge of something that would be very, very, important for the world at large.” Trump has grown frustrated with Putin in recent weeks, saying last Friday that Russia “has to get moving” on seeking a peace deal with Ukraine.
“Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Rubio added that the United States has many pressing issues around the globe to address and cannot waste time if peace in Ukraine is not “doable in the short term.”
“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,” he said. “The President feels very strongly about that. He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to this, and there are a lot of things going on in the world right now that we need to be focused on.”
As the future of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks remains uncertain, the United States is close to finalizing a deal for rare earth minerals with Kyiv. Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday, “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.”
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. pic.twitter.com/AQsHPkWh5X
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) April 17, 2025
The minerals deal came to a standstill in February after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following a contentious meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky left the White House before he was expected to sign the minerals deal with Trump.
While Trump has directed much of his criticism toward Zelensky and Ukraine, he has also expressed annoyance with Putin. Earlier this month, Trump said he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.”
“He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him,” Trump later told reporters. “So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”
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[[{“value”:”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Ukraine-Russia peace talks need to make progress “within a matter of days” or President Donald Trump will be “done” with the negotiations.
Seeking peace between the two countries has been a top priority of the Trump administration after the president vowed on the campaign trail to end the war within the first day of taking the oath of office. The peace negotiations, however, have appeared to come to a standstill, and the Trump administration’s patience is wearing thin.
“So we came here yesterday to sort of begin to talk about more specific outlines of what it might take to end the war, to try to figure out very soon,” Rubio told reporters in Paris. “And I’m talking about a matter of days, not a matter of weeks – whether or not this is a war that can be ended. If it can, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to facilitate that and make sure that it happens, that it ends in a durable and just way.”
“If it’s not possible – if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen – then I think the president’s probably at a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done,” he added. “We’ll do what we can on the margins. We’ll be ready to help whenever you’re ready to have peace. But we’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end.”
Rubio’s comments come just a few days after Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that the countries “might be on the verge of something that would be very, very, important for the world at large.” Trump has grown frustrated with Putin in recent weeks, saying last Friday that Russia “has to get moving” on seeking a peace deal with Ukraine.
“Too many people are DYING, thousands a week, in a terrible and senseless war – A war that should have never happened, and wouldn’t have happened, if I were President!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Rubio added that the United States has many pressing issues around the globe to address and cannot waste time if peace in Ukraine is not “doable in the short term.”
“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,” he said. “The President feels very strongly about that. He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to this, and there are a lot of things going on in the world right now that we need to be focused on.”
As the future of the Ukraine-Russia peace talks remains uncertain, the United States is close to finalizing a deal for rare earth minerals with Kyiv. Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday, “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.”
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. pic.twitter.com/AQsHPkWh5X
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) April 17, 2025
The minerals deal came to a standstill in February after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was asked to leave the White House following a contentious meeting with Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Zelensky left the White House before he was expected to sign the minerals deal with Trump.
While Trump has directed much of his criticism toward Zelensky and Ukraine, he has also expressed annoyance with Putin. Earlier this month, Trump said he was “very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine.”
“He considers Zelensky not credible, he’s supposed to be making a deal with him whether you like him, you don’t like him,” Trump later told reporters. “So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.”
“}]]
