US may exit Russia-Ukraine peace talks if progress stalls: Rubio
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Russia continues to insist on Ukraine's withdrawal from annexed territories and a formal pledge not to join NATO, conditions Kiev has firmly rejected
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he arrives at the Quai d'Orsay, France's Minister of Foreign Affairs for high-level talks to discuss Ukraine and its security in Paris, Thursday, April 17, 2025 (Julien de Rosa, Pool via AP)
The United States has warned it may end its mediation role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict if no serious peace proposals are put forward by both sides, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's office said Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stressed the urgency of the moment. "We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict," Bruce said. "If there is no progress, we will step back as mediators in this process."
The announcement follows Rubio's earlier remarks on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday, where he described the coming days as pivotal for determining the future of US involvement.
"I think this is gonna be a very critical week," Rubio said. "This week is gonna be a really important week in which we have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved or if it's time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally if not more important in some cases. But we wanna see it happen. There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic of course as well."
The warning reflects growing frustration inside the Trump administration over stalled negotiations following the collapse of a month-long ceasefire earlier this month. Although a new round of talks was recently held in Paris, they failed to deliver significant results, deepening diplomatic tensions.
Diplomatic ultimatum
President Donald Trump also emphasized the need for swift action earlier this month, calling for an urgent end to hostilities. "Yeah, very short," Trump said when asked about expectations for a ceasefire timeline. "No specific number of days, but quickly. We want to get it done," he added, dismissing suggestions that Russia was manipulating the process. "Nobody's playing anybody."
Diplomatic efforts have been complicated by entrenched demands on both sides. Russia continues to insist on Ukraine's withdrawal from annexed territories and a formal pledge not to join NATO; conditions Kiev has firmly rejected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also publicly criticized US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, accusing him of favoring Russian narratives during negotiations.
Read more: Putin seeks halt to Ukraine arms as condition for ceasefire: Bloomberg
Observers note that Rubio's latest comments signal that US support for the peace initiative is increasingly conditional on concrete movement from Moscow and Kiev. Rubio also revealed that Washington had deliberately refrained from expanding sanctions against Russia in recent weeks to avoid undermining fragile talks.
While the United States has played a central role in trying to bridge the divide, officials now suggest that without visible and credible steps from both parties, Washington will reconsider its diplomatic involvement.
