The Trump administration’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war appears to have hit a critical point of frustration, with both US President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaling they may abandon peace efforts entirely without immediate progress, while the progress is not expected as Russia does not have plans to suspend or end its invasion of Ukraine.
On 18 April, Trump signaled his growing impatience with stalled Ukraine-Russia peace talks, suggesting the United States may “take a pass” if no deal is reached soon.
“Now, if for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say you’re foolish. You are fools, you horrible people,” Trump told reporters, according to AP. “And we’re going to just take a pass. But hopefully, we won’t have to do that.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced Trump’s frustration, saying,
“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not. Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” he said, adding, “It’s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on.”
ISW: Russia again rejects US-backed ceasefire, demands total Ukrainian surrender
Speaking after high-level negotiations in Paris in 18 April, Rubio told US, European, and Ukrainian officials that a decision would be made “in a matter of days” on whether the US continues its fruitless peace push. He reiterated this warning in a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. According to the State Department, Rubio stressed that without a clear path to peace, the US will step back from efforts to broker a deal.
The administration’s frustration stems from weeks of stalled talks, despite previous promises by Trump to end the war “within 24 hours” of taking office—a claim he later called “sarcastic.”
The US peace framework presented in Paris includes recognition of Russian control over Ukraine’s Crimea and a ceasefire based on current frontlines. The framework is still under review by Kyiv and Moscow. Further negotiations are expected next week in London, including renewed talks between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials.
Bloomberg: US ready to recognize Crimea as Russian in Trump-pushed peace deal
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