Rubio to Rutte: US will exit peace talks if deal proves impossible

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce issued a statement confirming that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to brief him on a new peace proposal and inform that the United States may withdraw from its role in facilitating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if progress is not made soon.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to brief him on the peace proposal presented yesterday to the Ukrainian delegation in Paris and to Russian officials by telephone,” Bruce said. “The Secretary expressed President Trump’s and the United States’ hopes that this proposal will be accepted and will lead to a durable and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Secretary stressed, while our nation has been committed to helping end the war, if a clear path to peace does not emerge soon, the United States will step back from efforts to broker peace.”

Secretary Rubio conveyed the same message to both sides involved in the conflict, emphasizing that US patience is waning amid stalled negotiations.

Speaking from the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump reiterated the warning:

“Quickly, we want to get it done,” Trump said. “If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people, and we’re going to just take a pass.’ But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

Rubio, who met with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris earlier in the week, added that the US does not want to continue fruitless negotiations indefinitely.

“If we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen, then I think the president is probably at a point where he’s going to say, ‘well, we’re done,” he said.

The peace proposal reportedly includes several phased steps aimed at achieving a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and a framework for long-term negotiations, but details remain confidential.