US may exit Ukraine peace talks within days without progress, Rubio warns

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that the United States could end its efforts to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia within days if no tangible progress is made.

Speaking after high-level talks in Paris with European and Ukrainian officials, Rubio said the Biden administration would not prolong the process without clear signs that a peace deal is achievable.

“We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio told reporters at Le Bourget Airport.

Trump’s push for peace nears deadline

U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged during his campaign to end the Ukraine war swiftly, has increasingly signaled impatience. His administration has attempted to pressure Kyiv and Moscow into negotiations, with limited results.

Rubio emphasized that while Washington remains committed to supporting Ukraine, it would no longer invest time in what appears to be a deadlocked process.

“If it’s not possible, if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen, then I think the president is at a point where he is going to say, well, we’re done,” he said.

Rubio was joined in Paris by Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and other U.S. officials, who met with counterparts from France, the U.K., Germany, and Ukraine in what marked the first in-person talks involving European powers in Trump’s renewed peace initiative.

Ceasefire elusive despite partial progress

The talks follow previous U.S.-mediated meetings in Saudi Arabia that produced a partial ceasefire but failed to result in a comprehensive agreement.

Russia has continued military operations, including a missile strike on Sumy that killed 35 civilians—an attack Trump labeled a “mistake.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow remains open to dialogue and claimed some progress had been made, but acknowledged that communications with Washington are “difficult.”

European role and sanctions questioned

Rubio stated that European involvement remains key and that potential peace would likely require lifting sanctions that only European governments can control.

“Many of them are European sanctions that we can’t lift, if that were ever to be part of a deal,” he noted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Paris talks were significant for having brought together the U.S., Ukraine, and key European nations. He stressed that any peace deal must involve European consensus.

US-Ukraine mineral deal back on the table

In a parallel development, Rubio confirmed that Washington and Kyiv are finalizing a long-delayed agreement on Ukrainian mineral rights.

The deal, which had collapsed in February after tensions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is seen as compensation for U.S. aid.

The proposed agreement would grant the U.S. a share of revenues from rare mineral extraction in Ukraine. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal is scheduled to visit Washington next week to conclude discussions.

Russia’s demands and ongoing tensions

Russia has maintained demands for NATO guarantees, control over four contested Ukrainian regions, and limitations on Ukraine’s military capacity. Kyiv has rejected these terms as unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Witkoff’s recent remarks suggesting compromise over occupied Ukrainian territories drew criticism from Zelenskyy, who accused the U.S. envoy of echoing “Russian narratives.”

Despite criticism, Witkoff and Rubio have continued to engage both sides, with Rubio briefing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by phone after the Paris meeting.

London talks planned as final attempt

Rubio confirmed that another meeting involving the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Ukraine is scheduled for early next week in London. He said this would be the administration’s final attempt to gauge the feasibility of a short-term resolution.

“We’re not going to continue to fly all over the world and do meeting after meeting if no progress is being made,” Rubio stated.