The United States will cease efforts to mediate a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement within days if no clear indications of a possible breakthrough emerge, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
Speaking in Paris following meetings with European and Ukrainian leaders, Rubio stated that while President Donald Trump remains open to a deal, his administration has numerous global priorities and is prepared to shift focus unless meaningful progress is seen soon.
Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff’s previous meeting with EU and Ukraine
The remarks follow a meeting held a day earlier, where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff engaged with European and Ukrainian allies as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
According to a State Department readout, a U.S.-drafted peace proposal received a “positive response” during the discussions, though specific details of the plan were not disclosed. Rubio also shared the same framework with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the readout noted.
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“It’s not Our War”, says Rubio
Speaking on Friday, Rubio said the purpose of the Paris visit was to “start discussing more concrete elements of what it might take to end the war” and to assess whether a resolution is even feasible.
“If the differences are too vast and a deal is out of reach, then I believe the president is ready to move on,” Rubio stated.
“This isn’t our war. We didn’t start it. The United States has supported Ukraine for the past three years because we want to see an end to the conflict — but ultimately, it’s not our war,” he added.
Rubio emphasized that President Trump has dedicated 87 days at the highest levels of government to finding a resolution and that the administration is now at a point where it must determine whether peace is realistically achievable — hence the ongoing engagement with both sides.
