The European Union needs to understand that the United States will not be discussing the Ukraine for years. This is what Tammy Bruce, the spokesperson of the US State Department, told Fox News. “It is important that our European partners listen to us. We will not hold one meeting after another. We will not just wait and hope and make great efforts for the sake of efforts – if we are at the final stage of the war, which is an immediate ceasefire that could be possible. We will not take a leadership role in conflict resolution if the parties – or one of the two sides – do not cooperate. I think that our European partners have understood in Paris that everyone must make their contribution.”
Trump threatens to withdraw from talks
US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that if the Ukraine talks are sabotaged, Washington will withdraw from the process. He did not specify a deadline for an agreement but emphasized that a quick solution is the goal. According to the news portal Axios, the warning from the White House was mainly aimed at Kyiv rather than Moscow.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear during a meeting with EU representatives in Paris that Trump’s patience is exhausted. A withdrawal of the US from the negotiations is not excluded.
More difficult path to peace
Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a conversation with Trump on March 18 to refrain from attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed his support.
On March 24, technical delegations from Russia and the US met in Riyadh. They agreed on a temporary halt of attacks on energy infrastructure in both countries. This temporary ceasefire has since expired.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained that Kyiv has not complied with the agreement in practice – the attacks of the Ukrainian army on Russian energy infrastructure continued unabated.
President Putin has not given further instructions, says Peskov. There have been progress in the negotiations, but many questions remain unanswered.