After initial efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table failed to garner substantial results, the US is likely to abandon brokering the peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasised during his visit to Paris.
In what can be termed a mark of frustration as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine remain majorly stalled, the US said it is prepared to abandon efforts for the truce, according to media reports. During his visit to Paris, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that the US is not going to “drag this out for weeks or months”. Rubio’s remarks came after he held discussions with European and Ukrainian officials, the report claims.
Rubio stressed that Trump still remains supportive of the peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. However, as the initial attempts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine to stop the ongoing conflict show no considerable progress, the Trump administration will move on, Rubio hinted.
Stopping Russia-Ukraine war- Trump’s major poll plank
Notably, stopping the war in Ukraine was one of the major planks of US President Donald Trump in the run-up to the election.
Initially, Trump pledged to stop the war in 24 hours after assuming office. Later, he suggested that a resolution could be reached only by April or May.
“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,” Rubio told reporters upon departure.
Rubio said the US administration wants to decide “in a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks.
Speaking in Paris after a marathon day of landmark talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials, Rubio said the discussions had been constructive and produced an outline for steps toward peace.
France hosted high-level talks Thursday to discuss Ukraine and its security, the first time since President Donald Trump’s inauguration that top American, Ukrainian and European officials are known to have met together to discuss an end to the war.
Russia, Ukraine fail to reach consensus
Despite Trump’s continued efforts, Moscow has refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed.
Russia has put forth a condition, demanding a halt in Ukraine’s mobilisation efforts and Western arms supplies, which are demands rejected by Ukraine.
(Wirh inputs from AP)