U.S. will pause Ukraine peace efforts if no progress, Rubio warns
Summary
The secretary of state said Washington had presented a framework for a deal to Kyiv and Moscow, in remarks aimed at putting pressure on both sides to compromise.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would pause its efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine if progress isn’t made in the coming days, in an effort to put pressure on Kyiv and Moscow to compromise.
“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," Rubio said after talks Thursday with European and Ukrainian officials. “If it is, we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities to focus on."
Rubio said the U.S. has presented a framework for a deal to the two sides and to Europeans on how the war might be ended, including a cease-fire, but hasn’t said publicly what it entails. Separately late Thursday, Ukraine and the U.S. took a step toward a broader economic agreement that has proved a major source of contention in relations by signing a memorandum.
Rubio’s warning comes as France has announced a meeting to be held in London next week with U.S., Ukrainian and European officials to try to advance the talks. Rubio said he was open to attending that session if it was clear that headway could be made.
Steve Witkoff , the Trump administration’s special envoy, has visited Russia three times for lengthy talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about how to end the war. Thursday was the most intensive meeting that Witkoff, who has not visited Ukraine, has had with senior Ukrainian officials.
Keith Kellogg, the retired lieutenant general who serves as the Trump administration’s special envoy on Ukraine, was also at the Paris meetings.
Ukraine said that it is prepared to impose a comprehensive cease-fire if Russia also agrees. The Kremlin has balked at accepting a cease-fire and has insisted that the “root causes" of the conflict be addressed.
Trump has warned periodically that he might apply economic pressure if Putin doesn’t yield. But so far the U.S. hasn’t taken any concrete steps to pressure Russia.
Other Western officials were more optimistic than Rubio about the fate of the talks, saying that Paris meetings had been productive and the U.S. indicated that he has developed a draft concept for how a comprehensive cease-fire might be monitored. Ukrainian officials also reaffirmed their willingness in Paris to observe a comprehensive cease-fire if Russia goes along.
Ukraine announced the online signing of the memorandum for an economic deal late Thursday, which called for the creation of a reconstruction investment fund. The memorandum, published on the Ukrainian government website, said that both sides were hoping to finalize a deal by April 26.
The text provided few further details on the plans for what Ukraine described as an “economic partnership" with the U.S.
Trump has sought to use a deal for U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral deposits to recoup the billions in military and financial aid that the U.S. provided to sustain Kyiv’s resistance to Russia’s three-year invasion. He has put the figure at $350 billion, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said it is around $100 billion.
Negotiations have proved a major irritant in relations, underpinning the blowup in the White House between Trump and Vice President JD Vance on one side, and Zelensky on the other.
A draft agreement sent to Ukraine in March proposed handing the U.S. sweeping powers over Ukraine’s economy, allowing it to draw profits from Ukrainian economic projects across metals, oil, gas, and other natural resources, as well as infrastructure projects including ports and pipelines.
Ukrainian officials have said that they won’t agree to any deal that signs away their country’s future prosperity or jeopardizes other international agreements, including attempts to join the European Union.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who signed the memorandum with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, said it “demonstrates the constructive joint work of our teams and the intent to conclude an agreement that will be beneficial to both our peoples."
Ahead of the signing, Zelensky told reporters that the document made sense for both countries. “Our intentions are positive and constructive. We’re demonstrating that," he said.
President Trump said the minerals deal would be signed next Thursday.
“I assume they’re going to live up to the deal, so we’ll see," Trump told reporters on Thursday.
Both sides said work was still needed to produce a final deal. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will visit Washington next week to conclude technical talks, according to the memorandum.
Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com
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