Donald Trump has taken a leading role in trying to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine. Even though he has been involved for several months, the talks have not led to a final agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to stop the fighting a few times, but then changed his mind and continued the war.
Now, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has set a time limit for how long America will stay involved in trying to help both sides make peace. He recently said that the United States is ready to stop its efforts if the negotiations don’t end soon.
Trump still believes a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine is possible. In an interview with 9 News Australia, he said that the peace deal is “within reach,” meaning it could happen very soon. Because things are taking too long, Trump has started using stronger tactics. According to reports, he even gave Russia a serious warning, saying the U.S. might take harsh action if the war doesn’t stop.
“I can use financial power to hurt Russia badly,” Trump said. He warned that if he has to take that step, it will not be a good situation for Russia. Despite these repeated warnings, the peace talks still haven’t reached a clear end.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently gave a firm warning to both Russia and Ukraine, saying they must come to a decision soon. He explained that the U.S. might stop acting as the middleman if progress isn’t made quickly.
“If there’s no chance to end the war in Ukraine, then we have to move on,” Rubio told reporters. He stressed how urgent the situation is, saying a decision must be made in just a few days. “We’re talking about days — not weeks or months — to decide whether peace is still possible,” he added.
Rubio made these comments while visiting Paris, where he met with European leaders to talk about how to reach a peace deal. He was joined by Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg. Rubio said that Witkoff was there to start discussing the specific steps needed to end the war.
He also made it clear that if the U.S. sees that peace is no longer possible, then President Trump will likely stop trying to act as a peacemaker.
Rubio repeated that the war in Ukraine is not America’s war. “We didn’t start this war,” he said. But he also pointed out that the U.S. has been helping Ukraine with peace talks for the past three years because they want to see the fighting end. “Still, it’s not our war,” he said again, making sure people understand America’s position.
Meanwhile, Trump sounded hopeful about the progress being made. He said that peace talks are going well and that he is waiting to hear back from President Putin about a new idea that could help bring the war to an end.
“We’re very close to agreeing on a ceasefire,” Trump said. “We should be hearing back from them very soon actually, in the next few days,” he shared during a recent press briefing
