The war in Ukraine has been going on for years. Hundreds of thousands have likely died.
And now the the Trump admin gave an ultimatum to Russia and Ukraine that is raising eyebrows.
Trump’s Tight Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal
The clock is ticking on President Donald Trump’s efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaling that the administration will abandon the initiative within days if no clear path to an agreement emerges.
Speaking in Paris on Friday after high-level talks with European and Ukrainian leaders, Rubio emphasized the need for swift progress.
“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,” Rubio said. He added that Trump, who has invested significant effort in the push, is eager to shift focus to other pressing global priorities.
“The president feels very strongly about that. He has dedicated a lot of time and energy to this … this is important, but there are a lot of other really important things going on that deserves just as much, if not more attention.”
Signs of Progress Amid Persistent Challenges
Despite the urgency, there are glimmers of hope in the negotiations. Following Thursday’s talks in Paris—the first major in-person discussions involving European powers—Rubio described the reception to the U.S. peace framework as “encouraging.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office echoed this sentiment, labeling the talks “constructive and positive.”
The discussions come on the heels of Trump’s announcement that he expects to finalize a deal with Kyiv next week, granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
This follows a failed attempt to secure a similar pact in February, which collapsed after a tense Oval Office confrontation between Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
Rubio also revealed he briefed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the talks, sharing “some of the elements of” the U.S. framework and noting their constructive nature.
Security Guarantees and the Road Ahead
A key sticking point in the negotiations is the issue of U.S. security guarantees, which surfaced during the Paris talks. Rubio expressed confidence that this could be resolved, stating, “we can fix [it] in sort of in a way that’s acceptable to everyone.”
However, he acknowledged that larger obstacles remain, and the feasibility of a deal in the near term is uncertain.
“There’s no one saying this can be done in 12 hours. But we want to see how far apart it is and whether those differences can even be narrowed, if it’s even possible to get movement within the period of time we have in mind,” Rubio said.
With the White House growing increasingly frustrated by stalled progress on multiple geopolitical fronts, the next few days will be critical in determining whether Trump’s peace initiative can move forward or will be shelved.
