US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States may withdraw from its role in facilitating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if tangible progress is not made soon.
“Quickly, we want to get it done,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. “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.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced the sentiment during a visit to Paris, where he met with European and Ukrainian officials.
“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio stated. “We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks.”
Rubio emphasized that a lack of progress could prompt a full US withdrawal from the diplomatic process. “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’.”
Although Trump declined to give an exact timeline, he reaffirmed his support for a swift resolution. When asked whether he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin was intentionally stalling, Trump responded, “I hope not.”
