Trump Warns: U.S. May Walk Away From Ukraine Peace Talks Without Rapid Progress

The United States may soon bow out of efforts to broker peace in Ukraine if negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow don’t show meaningful progress in the coming days, President Donald Trump said Friday during an Oval Office press briefing.

“If one of the parties makes it very difficult, we’ll just take a pass,” Trump stated bluntly. “We’re not here to waste time. People are dying. We want this stopped—fast.”

The message marks a sharp pivot from the administration's earlier confidence in its ability to secure a swift ceasefire. Now, U.S. officials are drawing a line in the sand: either progress happens soon, or America moves on.

⚖️ Peace Talks on a Ticking Clock

The President’s remarks were echoed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who issued a direct warning: “If this isn’t going to happen, then we’re moving on. We’re not continuing this for weeks or months on end. The U.S. has other priorities.”

Rubio made the statement following a tense round of meetings in Paris with European leaders. He emphasized that the U.S. needs to know “within days” if a peace deal is even possible.

Despite initial optimism from the Trump administration that a ceasefire could be achieved early in the President’s term—Trump had famously pledged to end the war in 24 hours—diplomatic efforts have stalled.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that talks remain “quite difficult,” though he insisted Russia is “open to dialogue” and seeking a resolution that protects its national interests.

💥 On the Ground: Conflict Continues

While negotiations drag on, the fighting hasn't paused. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported another round of deadly Russian missile strikes Friday, including an attack that killed two civilians. In Sumy, a bakery was reduced to rubble following a direct hit, underscoring the ongoing humanitarian toll of the conflict.

Vice President JD Vance, speaking from Rome after a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, struck a more hopeful note. “We’re optimistic we can bring this very brutal war to a close,” he said, noting that updates from recent negotiations had sparked renewed optimism within the administration.

⚒️ U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal Signals Economic Shift

As peace talks teeter, a separate U.S.-Ukraine economic agreement is quietly advancing.

On Thursday, the two nations signed a memorandum of intent to form an investment fund to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. The agreement—still in draft form—is set to be finalized by April 26.

While initially centered on critical minerals, leaked details suggest the scope could extend to Ukraine’s broader energy infrastructure, including oil and gas. Notably, there are concerns within Ukraine’s Parliament about U.S. influence over strategic assets.

Ukrainian negotiators had previously resisted Trump’s push to make the fund partially repay prior U.S. military aid, but it appears Kyiv is warming to the idea—seeing it as a path to long-term recovery.

“The American people desire to invest alongside the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine,” the memo reads.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the agreement “substantially what we’d agreed on previously,” while Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko celebrated the deal’s progress on social media. "There is a lot to do,” she wrote, “but the pace and results so far give us reason to believe this will be very beneficial for both countries.”

🛡️ No Guarantees—Yet

Despite Ukraine’s hopes, the U.S. has not committed to any formal security guarantees. Zelensky has told European allies that any ceasefire without long-term security assurances would be “dangerous.”

The White House, for its part, argues that the presence of U.S. investment itself may act as a deterrent against further Russian aggression. However, that theory failed to prevent the initial invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met with Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris this week to discuss a broader roadmap to peace. According to Sybiha, topics included a full ceasefire, a multinational peacekeeping contingent, and the potential for a formal U.S. security umbrella.

🕊️ What’s Next?

With a 30-day moratorium on attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure—ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin—set to expire, all eyes are on Moscow for its next move. Peskov said Putin has not yet decided whether to extend or lift the pause.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Parliament is expected to scrutinize the proposed U.S. investment deal. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, chair of the parliamentary committee on EU Integration, emphasized that the legislature “will have the last word” on ratifying the agreement.

Whether Washington stays committed to peace talks—or walks away—is likely to depend on what happens in the next few days.

As President Trump warned: “We’ll see who’s serious. If they’re not, we’ve got other things to do.”