THE US is ready to walk away from peace talks with Ukraine unless there is a deal within days, Trump’s Secretary of State warned.
Marco Rubio, speaking in Paris, said talks needed to progress “very quickly now” and gave a “matter of days” as a deadline.
A building in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, burning after being hit by a Russian drone strike on Friday[/caption]
Zelensky has accused Russia of deliberately blocking peace progress[/caption]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US has other priorities it could focus on[/caption]
Rubio said: “We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end.
“So 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.
“If it is we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well.”
Trump’s team has spent weeks trying to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and are frustrated by the continuing fighting.
Trump’s statesman spoke following a marathon day of talks among US, Ukrainian and European diplomats.
It was the first time with Trump in charge that officials from those three groups are known to have met to discuss an end to the war.
He said the conversations had been positive and pathed the way for peace.
Another similar meeting is expected in London early next week, according to French officials, but Rubio said he couldn’t make it.
Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff have helped lead US efforts to seek peace.
Several rounds of negotiations have been held in Saudi Arabia, and Witkoff has met with Putin three times.
The conversations in Paris come as minerals deal between the US and Ukraine looks set to be signed next week.
Meanwhile, Russian bombs continue to slaughter civilians in Ukraine.
A vicious “double-tap” missile attack on Sumy killed at least 35 on Palm Sunday.
World leaders slammed the attack, with Zelensky branding Putin a “b***ard” for deliberately targeting civilians.
He urged the world not the remain “silent” or “indifferent” to the violence, and called for “really strong pressure” against Russia.
Another lethal missile and drone attack terrorised Ukrainians today, on Good Friday.
A man was killed in his Kharkiv flat as an an Iskander-M ballistic missile slammed into a residential tower and unleashed cluster munitions.
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Rubio’s comments followed a long day of talks in Paris between EU, US and Ukrainian officials[/caption]