The American government will abandon the efforts to obtain a full cease-fire in Ukraine if significant progress is not made in “a few days,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
“If it is not possible to put an end to the war in Ukraine, we must move on,” he told journalists before leaving Paris, where he participated in high-level talks on the war between the European allies of Ukraine and the representatives of kyiv on Thursday.
“We have to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a few days, whether or not it is,” he added. “If it is not possible, if we are so far away that it will not happen, then I think that the president is probably at a point where he will say” we are finished “.”
President Donald Trump expressed the desire to quickly end the war in Ukraine, which began with the large -scale invasion of Russia over three years ago.
However, despite the diplomatic thrust of his administration – and the president's own conversations with the leaders of the two countries – the progress has been limited, with few concessions offered by Moscow.
Rubio has met in recent months with a Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in person in order to negotiate a truce. On Thursday, the two spoke by phone, the best American diplomat describing the call as “constructive”.
Meanwhile, a 30 -day moratorium which was supposed to interrupt mutual attacks against energy infrastructure expired on Thursday. The agreement has never firmly caught, Ukraine and Russia frequently accusing violations.
United States, Ukraine to conclude a mineral agreement during the week
While a cease-fire is currently appearing out of reach, a raw material agreement between kyiv and Washington should be concluded on April 26, following final negotiations between Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and US officials.
Friday, a memorandum of understanding, signed by the two parties, was published Friday by the Ukrainian government.
Few details, including financial terms, have been revealed in the text.
But the final agreement should give the United States access to the rare land of Ukraine, which is crucial for high-tech industries.
kyiv, in turn, hopes that the agreement will strengthen its relationship with the United States and will ensure the long-term support of Washington as a protective power.
The memorandum of understanding highlights the significant financial and material assistance that the United States has brought to Ukraine since the invasion of Russia in 2022, potentially indicating that kyiv may need to use critical minerals as a reimbursement.
The document also describes plans to establish a joint investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
And although he does not deal with security guarantees that Ukraine is looking for, he says that the American and Ukrainian people are committed to investing in a “Ukraine sovereign and secure”.
Above all, the agreement must be structured to avoid conflict with Ukraine's obligations towards the European Union and other international partners.
Media reports previously indicated that previous sketches had raised concerns to kyiv that it could hinder the EU EU membership aspirations, as certain provisions could conflict with the Bloc settlement.
Shmyhal has to go to Washington next week and meet the American Treasury Scott Bessent to finalize the agreement, said the memorandum.
Shortly after taking office in January, American president Donald Trump linked military aid to Ukraine's access to his precious minerals of rare earth.
However, an agreement that was to be signed collapsed in February following a heated public dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump in the White House.
Russian strikes have struck Ukrainian cities
A Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian city in the northeast of Sumy killed one person and injured another, said the acting mayor Artem Kobzar on Friday, other areas were also burnt down overnight.
In the eastern city of Kharkiv, a missile struck a densely populated area, according to mayor Ihor Terekhov. The regional military administrator, Oleh Sinegubov, said that the strike had damaged a residential building on several floors and made around 20 people injured, citing preliminary reports.
Explosions have also been reported in the capital of the capital, kyiv, and in the southern industrial city of Dnipro.
Meanwhile, in the Russian region of Rostov, Governor Yuri Slyusar said that the air defenses had intercepted and destroyed several Ukrainian drones. According to initial information, there was no victim or damage on the field, he said in a telegram post.
