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US sets ticking clock on Russia-Ukraine talks
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The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Evening Report newsletter Subscribe *{box-sizing:border-box}body{margin:0;padding:0}a[x-apple-data-detectors]{color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important}#MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none}p{line-height:inherit}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{mso-hide:all;display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden}.image_block img div{display:none}sub,sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0} @media (max-width:620px){.image_block div.fullWidth{max-width:100%!important}.mobile_hide,.row .side{display:none}.row-content{width:100%!important}.stack .column{width:100%;display:block}.mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0}.desktop_hide,.desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important}} Presented by Ericsson{beacon}THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is threatening to walk away from Russia-Ukraine peace talks if the two sides don’t come to a speedy agreement.
With talks dragging on, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday the clock is ticking on U.S. involvement.
“We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,” Rubio told reporters after a meeting with counterparts in Paris. “Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.
“It’s not our war,” he added. “We have other priorities to focus on.”
Rubio said the U.S. would decide if continuing to negotiate was “doable” in a “matter of days.”
Later in the day, President Trump said he still believes a deal is possible. However, Trump left the door open to the U.S. walking away if negotiations appear intractable.
“We’re going to get it stopped, ideally,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Now, if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say ‘you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people and we’re just going to take a pass.’ But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”
The remarks from Trump and Rubio could be a negotiating tactic to press for a swift resolution.
Vice President Vance struck a more upbeat tone in Italy, where he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“We do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this brutal war to a close,” he said.
FRUSTRATIONS ABOUND
The Trump administration expressed frustration this week with remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who suggested in a “60 Minutes” interview that the U.S. is on Russia’s side.
“I think it’s sort of absurd for Zelensky to tell the [American] government, which is currently keeping his entire government and war effort together, that we are somehow on the side of the Russians,” Vance told UnHerd.
Still, Trump said Thursday he expects to sign a minerals agreement with Ukraine next week. That deal was previously derailed after tensions boiled over between Trump, Vance and Zelensky during an Oval Office meeting last month.
“We have a minerals deal,” Trump told reporters Thursday.
The U.S. has described the minerals deal as a deterrent to future Russian aggression, arguing Russia will be loathe to attack Ukraine if the U.S. has an economic stake in the region.
MEANWHILE...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of dragging his feet, as his country makes further gains on the battlefield.
Zelensky has already accepted the terms of the Trump administration’s proposed 30-day ceasefire, but Russia has refused to commit.
“Nobody’s playing anybody,” Trump said Friday. “We are going to see if we can get it done. I think we have a really good chance of getting it done. And it’s coming to a head right now.”
💡Perspectives:
• The Hill: Trump’s tariffs will likely lead to stagnation, not a depression.
• Washington Times: Trump has crushed inflation.
• The Hill: Trump’s tariff antics prove he is a terrible negotiator.
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