Paris:
US President Donald Trump will move away from trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days, unless there are clear indications that a deal can be signed, US State Secretary Maro Rubio said on Friday.
Rubio said in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders, “We are not going to continue for weeks and months with this effort. So we need to determine very quickly, and I am talking about a few days whether it is notable in the next few weeks or not.”
“The President feels very strongly about it. He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to it … it is important, but there are many other important things that are going on, just as worthy, if not much attention.”
Rubio’s warnings came in the US dialogue with Ukraine amid signs of some progress.
Trump said on Thursday he was expected to sign a deal with Kiev next week that would provide the US access to Ukraine minerals. Attempts to sign a mineral agreement in February separated with Trump of Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelansky and after the struggle of Vice President JD Vance at the Oval Office.
After negotiations in Paris on Thursday – the first solid, high level and in -transaction dialogue on Trump’s peace push, which includes European powers – Rubio said that an American peace structure received a “encouraging reception”. Zelansky’s office called the talks constructive and positive.
On Friday, Rubio’s comments outlined the growing frustrations in the White House, which lacks a push progress to dispose of the growing list of geopolitical challenges.
Trump promised during his election campaign to end the war in Ukraine within his first 24 hours at the White House. He took over that claim, suggesting a deal by April or May suggesting a deal as obstacles.
Rubio said that he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavarov after the Paris talks and told him that he was creative, and also informed him on some elements of “US Peace Framework”.
Rubio said that the issue of American security came into talks in Paris as part of any deal, without going into more detail.
He said the safety guarantee was an issue “We can fix a way that is acceptable to all,” but “we have great challenges that we need to find out, even if it is possible within the short term”.
He said that it was clear that it would be difficult to strike on a peace deal, but this indication is required that it can be done soon.
He said, “No one is saying that this can be done in 12 hours. But we want to see how different it is and whether those differences can be narrowed, if it is also possible to achieve movement within the coming period in our mind,” he said.
Neither the French President or Ministry of External Affairs immediately returned the request for comment.
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