US to Stop Ukraine Peace Push If No Progress Soon

Secretary of State's Warning Reflects Washington's Frustration Over Negotiations to End War

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PARIS - US President Donald Trump will walk away from trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days, unless there are clear signs that a deal can be done, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 18.

"We're not going to continue with this endeavor 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," Mr. Rubio said in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders.

"If it's not possible, 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.'"

There was no immediate comment from Paris, London, Berlin, or Kyiv on Mr. Rubio's statement.

Three European diplomatic sources told Reuters that Mr. Rubio's comments reflected growing frustration in the White House over Russian intransigence to end the war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some progress on a peace settlement had already been made, but that contacts with Washington were difficult. He said Russia was striving to resolve the conflict while ensuring its own interests. Moscow remained open to dialogue with the US, he added.