Trump says US will 'move on very shortly' if Ukraine peace deal isn't reached

The United States will move on “very shortly” if no deal is reached to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, said President Donald Trump said Friday, adding that negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war.

There is “no specific number of days, but quickly, we want to get it done,” Trump told journalists, after his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would walk away if peace between Moscow and Kyiv were not “doable.”

The comments from Trump came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned earlier Friday that the US may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.

“If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re going to say you’re fools, you’re foolish, and we’re just going to take a pass,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was dragging his feet on negotiations, Trump replied, “I hope not.”

Russia says ‘open to dialogue’

Despite apparent impatience with the peace efforts, Rubio called Thursday’s Paris talks constructive. He didn’t single out Russia or Ukraine as blocking peace efforts. He said he informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the outlines that emerged, but wouldn’t say how Lavrov reacted.

When asked about Rubio’s comments on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “fairly complex” negotiations are ongoing between Russia and the U.S. He did not give details, but said no direct talks between Trump and Putin are scheduled in the coming days.

“Russia is striving toward resolving this conflict, securing its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We are continuing to do this,” he said.

Peskov also stressed that a limited, 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington that both Russia and Ukraine last month embraced in principle has now lapsed, but did not say what steps Moscow might take next.

While voicing their readiness to implement the agreement, the warring parties issued conflicting statements soon after their separate talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia. They differed on the start time of halting strikes, and alleged near-immediate breaches by the other side.

With inputs from agencies