US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 4 April that the Trump administration expects Russia to demonstrate readiness to end the war “within weeks, not months.”
According to Rubio, Russia is currently violating the ceasefire agreement.
Following several rounds of meetings with Ukrainian and Russian delegations and phone calls between the presidents of both countries, the US facilitated an agreement with Ukraine and Russia to halt strikes on energy infrastructure only as Russia has set conditions that undermine Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Several hours after the agreement, Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine. Now both countries to accuse each other of failing to comply with the terms.
In late March, US President Trump expressed frustration with Putin’s stance on the ceasefire proposal, citing Putin’s doubts about Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s legitimacy. Ukrainian officials and their allies accused Russia of delaying the acceptance of the ceasefire agreement.
“If there are waiting tactics and delays, we will not be interested in this. And President Trump will not fall into the trap of endless negotiations,” Rubio said.
The Secretary of State emphasized that Russia must decide to end the war “soon, not in six months, but in weeks.” If Russia fails to make this decision, the United States will need to reassess its approach.
Earlier there was a proposal to make a deal until Easter, 20 April.
Rubio also said that Russians have not agreed to a complete ceasefire. They instead proposed partial truce options but have already violated these several times.
“This is about actions. […] If you’re not interested in peace, then you drag it out, you come up with excuses… We aren’t going to be pulled into that,” the US Secretary of State said.
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