US President Donald Trump stated that the United States will “take a pass” on facilitating further discussions regarding the Ukraine war unless swift advancements are made by both Moscow and Kyiv.
Mr. Trump made these remarks following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments after discussions with European allies, indicating that Washington would “move on” if a ceasefire did not appear “doable” within days.
“Yeah, very shortly,” Mr. Trump replied to reporters in the Oval Office when asked to affirm Mr. Rubio’s statement.
“No specific number of days, but quickly. We want to get it done.”
He emphasized that both parties must make headway.
“If one of the two parties complicates matters significantly, we’re simply going to say: ‘You’re foolish. You’re fools. You’re horrible people’ – and we will just take a pass,” Mr. Trump remarked.
“But hopefully, we won’t have to do that.”
Despite this, Mr. Trump conveyed that he did not wish to imply he was abandoning the talks completely. He expressed optimism about the possibility of resolving the conflict.
“It’s coming to a head right now,” he mentioned.
Earlier, Vice President JD Vance expressed optimism about the conflict’s resolution during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, marking their second interaction within 24 hours.
His remarks followed Mr. Rubio’s assertion that President Trump would withdraw from attempting to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine within days if clear indicators of progress were not evident.
Vance ‘optimistic’ about peace talks
Mr. Vance met with Ms. Meloni in Washington yesterday, and they have since traveled to the Italian capital ahead of the Easter holidays.
“I want to update the prime minister on some developments in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine … even in the last 24 hours, we feel optimistic about some interesting updates,” Mr. Vance told reporters alongside Ms. Meloni.
“Given the ongoing negotiations, I won’t prejudge them, but we do feel hopeful about concluding this very brutal war,” he continued.
This trip marks Mr. Vance’s first return to Europe since delivering a strong speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, during which he criticized EU members on cultural issues while urging the bloc to enhance its security management.
Mr. Rubio stated that Mr. Trump remains interested in a deal but has numerous other global priorities and is prepared to move on without visible progress.
“We’re not going to prolong this endeavor for weeks or months. We need to determine very quickly—I’m talking within days—whether this is achievable in the near future. If it is, we’re in. If not, we have other priorities as well,” he noted.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed before his second presidential term that he could resolve the Ukraine war within 24 hours, although he recently stated this was said in jest.
Ukraine has agreed to a full temporary ceasefire and accused Russia of delaying a deal to obtain a more favorable negotiating stance.
Mr. Trump surprised Western capitals by initiating direct talks with Mr. Putin shortly after assuming office in February.
He expressed hope that the Russian leader was not stalling.
“I hope not,” he responded when inquired about Mr. Putin’s pace. “I’ll let you know soon,” he added.
Mr. Trump rejected the notion that he was being manipulated by the Russian leader, who had consistently denied any plans of invading until just before the attack.
“Nobody’s playing me; I’m trying to help,” Mr. Trump contended.
Watch: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the media
The remarks from the US follow discussions involving US and European officials about the ongoing three-year conflict that took place yesterday.
The meetings included Mr. Rubio, French President Emmanuel Macron, US envoy Steve Witkoff, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German officials, and Ukrainian ministers.
France indicated that the talks had initiated a “positive process,” as Europe aims to play a role in efforts to resolve the conflict.
These discussions occurred amid challenges in President Trump’s efforts to end the war, with Russian President Vladimir Putin rejecting a complete truce.
“Today in Paris, we initiated a positive process in which European nations are engaged,” stated the French presidency.
A subsequent meeting of representatives from the US, France, Britain, Germany, and Ukraine is scheduled to take place next week in London, as confirmed by sources.
Following the Paris meeting, Mr. Rubio contacted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the progress made.
“President Trump and the United States wish for this war to come to an end, and have now presented a framework for achieving a durable and lasting peace to all parties,” Mr. Rubio conveyed to his Russian counterpart, per the US State Department.
“The positive reception in Paris to the US proposal indicates that peace is feasible if all parties commit to pursuing an agreement,” he continued.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry mentioned that Mr. Lavrov “reiterated Moscow’s willingness to continue cooperative efforts with American counterparts to comprehensively address the underlying issues of the Ukrainian crisis.”
Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Rubio concurred on the necessity of maintaining “prompt communication channels” in light of the upcoming London meeting, according to the statement.
Read more: Outline of Ukraine-US mineral resource agreement signed
Putin’s directive not to target Ukrainian energy assets has “expired,” according to the Kremlin.
Russia announced a truce on March 18 following a conversation between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump, yet both sides accused each other of breaching it repeatedly.
“The month has indeed lapsed,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed.
“At present, no further instructions have been given by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Putin.”
This brief ceasefire was one of the few commitments extracted by Mr. Trump from Russia in his endeavors to negotiate a truce in the years-long conflict.
Mr. Putin dismissed a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire earlier.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that Russia was never genuinely committed to the moratorium and continued targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure “despite Putin’s statements.”
‘Europeans at the table’
Mr. Zelensky, who has had disagreements with Mr. Trump, praised the recent discussions, highlighting the importance of striving for “real security” in Europe.
In a Telegram post, Mr. Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak expressed gratitude to Mr. Macron “for your efforts in the pursuit of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”
Contrarily, Mr. Peskov dismissed the Paris meeting, claiming earlier that Europeans appeared to be “focused on perpetuating the war.”
France and Britain have sought a unified European response to support Ukraine, both during the conflict and in any ceasefire arrangement, after being taken aback by Mr. Trump’s initiation of talks with Russia.
Mr. Macron emphasized that the Paris discussions represented “a significant opportunity for convergence,” as all involved parties desired “a robust and sustainable peace.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot informed reporters that the talks achieved a breakthrough, enabling the United States, Ukraine, and European ministers to “sit around the same table” when Europe previously feared exclusion from decision-making processes.
The US “has recognized that a just and sustainable peace… can only be attained with the consent and contribution of Europeans,” he later remarked on LCI television.
