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Peace in Ukraine: Rubio, ‘Without signals from Moscow and Kiev, the US will pull out’

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio: ‘If truce not possible, we will move forward’. US diplomacy opens to greater European role. Zelensky attacks envoy Witkoff for proximity to Putin

The truce between Ukraine and Russia remains distant and an agreement seems unreachable at the moment. The US-led mediation is struggling to produce concrete results, to the point that Donald Trump is reportedly considering a partial disengagement. This was revealed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at the end of a series of meetings in Paris with European representatives and Ukrainian officials.

‘We will decide in the coming days whether peace is feasible,’ Rubio said, stressing that the US should ‘consider whether to continue on this front or devote itself to other priorities’.

Rubio: ‘It’s not our war. A decision is needed’

The Trump administration’s line remains consistent with the president’s statements: ‘It’s not our war. We didn’t start it,’ Rubio reiterated. ‘Trump has worked for 87 days at the highest level to find a way out of the conflict. But now we are at a crossroads: to understand whether a resolution is still possible or whether we need to move on.’

Rare earths agreement close to signature

In parallel, Washington is close to signing an important agreement with Kiev for the extraction and supply of rare earths. An arrangement that would secure strategic mineral resources for US companies. ‘London, Paris and Berlin can now take a more central role in the negotiations,’ Rubio said, opening up to greater European involvement. ‘Their proposals are constructive and could facilitate concrete progress.’

Envoy Witkoff divides: ‘Some regions could go to Russia’

However, tensions remain high between Washington and Kiev over the figure of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for Russia. Disliked by Zelensky, he is accused of being too close to the Kremlin line. The Wall Street Journal reports Witkoff’s latest statements that ‘Russia may get some regions, but not all’ and that ‘Ukraine could care less about some Russian-speaking territories’.

Putin-Witkoff meeting in St. Petersburg

On 11 April Witkoff met with Putin in St. Petersburg. The summit lasted over four hours and focused entirely on the war in Ukraine. The Russian president reportedly reiterated the need for ‘permanent peace’ that takes Russia’s strategic interests into account. Among the topics at the centre of the talks were the so-called ‘five disputed territories’: Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhzhia.

Zelensky, who has repeatedly reiterated his will not to cede any territory, remains critical: according to Kiev, the US envoy’s words fuel Russian propaganda and damage the negotiation process.

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