Rubio: We will withdraw from the Russia-Ukrainian peace agreement if there is no progress

So declared American State Secretary Marco Rubio on April 18th.

We will not continue this effort for weeks or months. We need to determine very quickly, and when I say very quickly, I talk about issues of days, if this [achieving an agreement] is feasible in the coming weeks. If that happens, then we're in the process. If not, then we have other priorities where we should focus also”, Rubio said in Paris.

Chief diplomat Rubio said President Trump is still interested in a deal, but is willing to step down if there are no immediate signals of progress.

Rubio participated in the one-day talks in Paris held Thursday, attended by European and Ukrainian officials. The American top diplomat said the discussions were constructive and resulted in a summary of the steps towards peace.

France was host to the meeting, and for the first time, senior American, Ukrainian and European officials met together to discuss the outcome of the war.

Rubio said Friday he hopes Europeans will remain engaged in US-led talks towards a ceasefire in Ukraine.

“We would like them to remain engaged... I think the United Kingdom, France and Germany can help us get this issue into a solution. I think they were very helpful and very constructive in their ideas”, Rubio told reporters as he left Paris after meeting with European officials.

Since receiving the president's mandate in January, the Trump administration has held several rounds of meetings with Russia and Ukraine in an effort to reach a ceasefire in the war that began in February 2022 and Rubio's statements highlight the US's growing frustrations over the lack of progress towards ending the war.

Moscow has refused to accept the ceasefire proposal submitted by the US, which Ukraine has accepted. Moscow has set conditions, demanding that Ukraine halt mobilization efforts and that the West stop sending weapons to Kiev. But these demands have been rejected by Ukraine.