Marta Gichko09:27, 19.04.25

The American president already fears that this war may soon be associated with him personally.

During the election campaign, Donald Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. He later softened his rhetoric, promising to reach an agreement in the spring, acknowledging the presence of serious obstacles. Now the American leader is considering withdrawing from the negotiation process, writes Reuters .

Trump tried to force Kyiv and Moscow to sit down at the negotiating table by applying a carrot-and-stick policy: either tough sanctions on Russia or a reduction in military aid to Ukraine.

Both sides have taken part in US-brokered talks in Saudi Arabia. The result has been a partial ceasefire, but no full peace has been achieved. Against this backdrop, the war continues to rage – a recent Russian attack on Sumy claimed the lives of 35 people. Trump called it a “mistake”.

Insiders say Trump is already beginning to question whether to continue negotiations given the stalemate. One U.S. official said Marco Rubio’s recent comments reflect Trump’s frustration and his fear that the war could soon be associated with him personally.

If Washington abandons its role as a mediator, the prospects for achieving peace will become even more elusive – because no other state has such influence on both sides of the conflict.

It is not yet known how the US policy towards the conflict will develop further. There are two possible options: either maintaining the course with support for Kyiv and sanctions against Moscow, or completely cutting off aid to Ukraine.

On Thursday, Trump said he expected to sign a mineral deal with Ukraine as early as next week. After talks in Paris, Rubio said he had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during which he shared key components of the U.S. peace plan.

Meanwhile, Putin has put forward conditions that are considered unacceptable in Kyiv: renunciation of NATO aspirations, recognition of Russian control over four regions, and limitations on the size of the Ukrainian army – effectively an ultimatum.

Rubio noted that European states will play a key role in reaching an agreement, as they are the ones who imposed most of the sanctions that will likely have to be lifted to make peace.

The issue of US security guarantees was also raised in Paris. Rubio assured that this “can be resolved in a way that is acceptable to everyone,” but stressed: “We have bigger challenges that we need to deal with.”

(C)UNIAN 2025