After concluding what he described as a productive round of conversations to end the war in Ukraine organized in Paris, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, presented on Friday a surprising ultimatum for all the parties involved, declaring that the United States was willing to move from negotiations if they did not obtain results soon.
“We need to discover here, now in a matter of days, if this is feasible in the short term, because if not, then I think we are going to move on,” said Rubio in the asphalt when he left France early Friday.
“We also have other priorities to focus,” he added. “It’s not our war.”
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at Quai d’Orsay, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart in Paris, on April 17, 2025.
Julien de Rosa/Via Reuters
Later, in the White House, President Donald Trump echoed Rubio’s statement, saying that the United States would make a determination “very briefly.”
“Now, if for any reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we are going to say that you are silly, you are foolish, you are horrible people, and we are going to take a pass,” Trump said without specifying what party. “But hopefully, we won’t have to do that.”
Trump also had an optimistic note, and refused to say if he would in fact move away from the conversations completely or if he believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was stagnating.
“All my life has been a great negotiation. And I know when people are playing us and I know when they are not, and I have to see an enthusiasm for wanting to finish it. And I think I see that enthusiasm,” he said. “I think I see it from both sides.”
Resident Donald Trump speaks during an oath ceremony for the administrator of the Medicare and Medicaid service centers, Mehmet Oz in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on April 18, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP
While the president refused to establish a specific deadline for progress, Rubio looked towards a new round of conversations scheduled in London in early next week as a potentially decisive commitment, saying that he can attend, but only if the meeting seemed prepared to result in actions instead of just speaking.
The apparent ultimatum of the Trump administration occurs when the negotiators have frustrated more and more due to the lack of impulse, especially on the Russian side.
Authorities say that Kremlin has repeatedly insisted on the respite of economic sanctions in exchange for giving incremental measures towards peace. The relief for Moscow would require action of both the United States and its allies, and until now, it seems to be a step that European leaders are not willing to take.
“I always remember everyone that part of the sanctions against Russia, many of them are European sanctions that we cannot raise,” said Rubio.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, attends a joint press conference with Wever Belgian Prime Minister after his meeting in kyiv, Ukraine, April 8, 2025.
Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shuttersock
Rubio sought to increase the pressure on Moscow during a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, on Thursday, according to officials familiar with the conversation, who add that the administration was hope that progress could be made in the hours between his talk and the departure of the Secretary of France.
But as a result of Rubio’s public comments, Moscow said he was not in a hurry to reach an agreement.
“We believe that certain progress, in fact, can already be recognized,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “There are already some developments, but, of course, there are still many complicated discussions ahead.”
These developments occur as a possible indicator of progress: a high 30 -day fire destined to stop the attacks of the energy infrastructure objectives, has expired, without any word of Putin on whether Moscow will restart the attacks in those objectives.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, presides over a meeting on the development of the Navy in St. Petersburg on April 11, 2025.
Alexandr Demyonchuk/Pool/AFP through Getty Images
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused of repeatedly violating the agreement, which was negotiated by the Trump administration last month.
While it is not clear if Rubio and Trump’s comments will have any impact on Moscow, anxiety in kyiv is likely to fan. Until now, administration officials have not given any indication that the United States relocates support for the war effort of Ukraine if they leave peace negotiations.
“Although the Trump administration is right by acting with a sense of urgency, threatening to wash our hands of peace conversations could perversely encourage Russian intransigence since Moscow will probably estimate that the United States that would move away would lead to the end of US aid for Ukraine,” said John Hardie, deputy director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy of the Democracy of the Democracy of the Russian program.
“On the other hand, Washington should focus on pressing Russia, even by hardening sanctions on Russian oil revenues,” Hardie continued. “Meanwhile, Washington should strive to help Ukrainian forces exhaust the Russian offensive potential to show Putin that he can’t win through greater fighting.”
If the United States withdraws from negotiations, Rubio said only that the members of the Trump administration “would do what we can in the margins.”
