US ready to abandon Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress, says Marco Rubio | World News

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday announced the country may “move on” from efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if no progress is made in the coming days, citing months of stalled negotiations and limited results.Speaking in Paris after a new round of landmark talks between US, Ukrainian and European officials, Rubio said the next meeting—expected in London next week—could determine whether the Trump adminration continues its involvement in the process.
“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,” Rubio told reporters. “Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.”
Story continues below this ad

“It’s not our war,” he added. “We have other priorities to focus on.” Rubio noted the adminration hopes to make a decision “in a matter of days.”
Despite months of diplomatic outreach, Rubio’s comments reflect growing impatience in Washington. His remarks came as the US and Ukraine moved closer to finalising a long-delayed deal granting American access to Ukraine’s mineral resources—an agreement that has become increasingly tied to President Donald Trump’s peace efforts.
Trump declared Thursday, “We have a minerals deal,” while Ukraine’s Economy Miner Yuliia Svyrydenko confirmed Friday that a memorandum of intent had been signed with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, paving the way for future cooperation.
The minerals framework had stalled earlier this year after a tense Oval Office meeting involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Negotiations resumed later.Story continues below this ad
Despite the warning of a potential US exit from the peace process, Rubio called Thursday’s talks in Paris “constructive.”
“Nobody rejected anything, nobody got up from the table or walked away,” he said, noting he had briefed Russian Foreign Miner Sergey Lavrov on the proposed outlines that emerged, though he declined to reveal Lavrov’s reaction.
The meeting marked the first high-level in-person discussions between US, Ukrainian, and European officials since Trump’s inauguration. European allies, long wary of Trump’s posture toward Moscow, expressed concerns about the adminration’s intentions. Rubio said, however, that the UK, France and Germany had played a productive role. “The UK and France and Germany can help us move the ball on this,” he said.
The talks touched on possible future security guarantees for Ukraine, though Rubio did not detail any potential US commitments. Analysts say American involvement will be critical in ensuring Russia refrains from renewed aggression following any peace deal.Story continues below this ad
Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff have led the adminration’s diplomatic efforts. Witkoff has reportedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin three times. A number of earlier rounds of negotiations took place in Saudi Arabia.
Still, Moscow continues to res a comprehensive ceasefire—an initiative strongly supported Ukraine and pushed Trump. Russia has demanded a halt to Ukraine’s mobilisation and an end to Western military support, both of which Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities have continued. On Friday, officials reported renewed strikes on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least one person and injuring over 60. Mayor Ihor Terekhov said the city’s residential areas were hit four times cluster munitions.
In Sumy, a Russian drone strike on a bakery killed a customer and wounded an employee, according to the regional prosecutor’s office. Photos from the scene showed Easter cakes coated in debris and dust inside a destroyed building. The city had already suffered a deadly missile strike during Palm Sunday celebrations days earlier, killing at least 34.Story continues below this ad
The latest attacks come on the heels of another deadly strike in Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4, which killed 20 people, including nine children.
Despite the continued violence, the proposed US-Ukraine minerals deal is moving forward. Svyrydenko said the agreement will bring investments, infrastructure upgrades, and long-term economic cooperation. The deal could give the US access to strategic resources such as lithium and rare earth minerals vital for emerging technologies and defence applications.
(With Inputs from AP)