Trump says Ukraine-Russia talks 'coming to a head' and 'no one is playing' him in push to end war
President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are 바카라 게임 웹사이트coming to a head바카라 게임 웹사이트 and insisted that neither side is 바카라 게임 웹사이트playing바카라 게임 웹사이트 him in his push to end the grinding war.
Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. may 바카라 게임 웹사이트move on바카라 게임 웹사이트 from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Now, if for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we바카라 게임 웹사이트re just going to say you바카라 게임 웹사이트re foolish. You are fools, you horrible people,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트And we바카라 게임 웹사이트re going to just take a pass. But hopefully, we won바카라 게임 웹사이트t have to do that.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Rubio's dour assessment came after landmark talks in Paris among U.S., Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress. Another meeting is expected next week in London, and Rubio suggested it could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Rubio told reporters in Paris. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Because if it바카라 게임 웹사이트s not, then I think we바카라 게임 웹사이트re just going to move on. It바카라 게임 웹사이트s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on.바카라 게임 웹사이트
He said the U.S. administration wants to decide 바카라 게임 웹사이트in a matter of days.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The State Department said Rubio issued the same warning in a phone call Friday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, telling him that 바카라 게임 웹사이트if a clear path to peace does not emerge soon, the United States will step back from efforts to broker peace.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump said 바카라 게임 웹사이트Marco is right바카라 게임 웹사이트 that the dynamic of the negotiations must change, but stopped short of saying he's ready to walk away.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Well, I don바카라 게임 웹사이트t want to say that,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트But we want to see it end.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Rubio바카라 게임 웹사이트s comments stepped up pressure on both sides to reach a peace deal, even as the U.S. and Ukraine made progress on a minerals agreement that Trump has sought to recoup billions of dollars in military assistance that Washington has sent Kyiv since Russia바카라 게임 웹사이트s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
They also indicated the road to a complete truce will be long and mired with contention, despite Trump repeatedly claiming on the campaign trail that he could end the war within a day. Trump said last month that he was 바카라 게임 웹사이트being a little bit sarcastic.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Coming out of the Paris talks, the Americans are ready to use both carrot and stick strategies with Russia and understand the need for 바카라 게임 웹사이트a relationship of force that allows them to get commitments from both sides," said a French diplomatic official who took part in the talks but was not authorized to comment publicly.
The Americans and Europeans discussed sanctions but 바카라 게임 웹사이트not the question of easing sanctions" on Russia. The official said the European Union needs to use 바카라 게임 웹사이트all instruments at our disposition," notably to have levers of influence over the Russians to ensure they commit to eventual promises.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance struck a more hopeful tone in Rome on Friday, ahead of talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We think we have some interesting things to report on, of course in private,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. On the negotiations, 바카라 게임 웹사이트I won바카라 게임 웹사이트t prejudge them, but we do feel optimistic that we can hopefully bring this war, this very brutal war, to a close.바카라 게임 웹사이트
He didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t give more details.
Progress on minerals deal
The U.S. and Ukraine are nearing a long-delayed deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine바카라 게임 웹사이트s vast mineral resources, which has been intertwined with Trump's peace push. Trump said Thursday: "We have a minerals deal.'' Ukraine's economy minister said Friday that the two countries signed a memorandum of intent ahead of a possible fuller agreement later.
The deal, which Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said she signed with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is expected to pave the way for significant investments, infrastructure modernization and long-term cooperation.
The framework of the mineral deal had stalled in February following a contentious Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vance and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia says its 바카라 게임 웹사이트open to dialogue바카라 게임 웹사이트
Despite apparent impatience with the peace efforts, Rubio called Thursday바카라 게임 웹사이트s Paris talks constructive. He said he informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the outlines that emerged, but wouldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t say how Lavrov reacted.
When asked about Rubio바카라 게임 웹사이트s comments on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that 바카라 게임 웹사이트fairly complex바카라 게임 웹사이트 negotiations are ongoing between Russia and the U.S. He did not give details.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Russia is striving toward resolving this conflict, securing its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We are continuing to do this,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said.
Peskov stressed that a limited, 30-day ceasefire backed by Washington that both Russia and Ukraine last month embraced in principle has now lapsed, but did not say what steps Moscow might take next.
While voicing their readiness to implement the agreement, the warring parties issued conflicting statements soon after their separate talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia. They differed on the start time of halting strikes, and alleged near-immediate breaches by the other side.
After weeks of tensions with European allies, Rubio said the European negotiators proved helpful. "The U.K. and France and Germany can help us move the ball on this."
European concerns are growing about Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s readiness to draw closer to Russia. The talks in Paris were the first time since Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s inauguration that top American, Ukrainian and European officials met to discuss an end to the war, which has posed the biggest security challenge to Europe since World War II.
The meetings addressed security guarantees for Ukraine in the future, but Rubio wouldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t discuss any possible U.S. role in that. Some kind of U.S. support for Ukraine is seen as crucial to ensuring that Russia would not attack again after a peace deal is reached.
Rubio and presidential envoy Steve Witkoff have helped lead U.S. efforts to seek peace, and Witkoff has met three times with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rubio said. Several rounds of negotiations have been held in Saudi Arabia.
Moscow has effectively refused to accept a separate, comprehensive ceasefire that Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed. Russia has made it conditional on a halt in Ukraine바카라 게임 웹사이트s mobilization efforts and Western arms supplies, which are demands rejected by Ukraine.
Asked if Putin was dragging his feet on negotiations, Trump replied, 바카라 게임 웹사이트I hope not. We'll know about that soon if he is."
Thomas Wright, a former National Security Council adviser closely involved in the Biden administration바카라 게임 웹사이트s efforts on the war, said Trump's approach to the negotiations 바카라 게임 웹사이트was sort of remarkable바카라 게임 웹사이트 for putting all the pressure for concessions on Ukraine. It suggests, he said, that Trump might want to 바카라 게임 웹사이트sidestep the war바카라 게임 웹사이트 and move forward to deepen ties with Russia.
Wright said if the Trump administration were to pull support from Ukraine, it would help Russia but it wouldn't end the war.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The only way to bring the war to an end is to somehow increase pressure on Putin to negotiate seriously,' said Wright, now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. "And the only way you can really do that is by ... maintaining and intensifying support for Ukraine on the battlefield.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Ukrainian cities attacked
Meanwhile, Russia kept up its deadly strikes on Ukrainian cities, wounding scores of civilians days after missiles killed at least 34 during Palm Sunday celebrations in the northern city of Sumy.
Video below: Russia ramps up attacks on Ukraine amid talks with US
One person died and 98 others, including six children, were hurt as Russia hit Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, on Friday, its mayor Ihor Terekhov reported. He said cluster munitions struck a densely populated neighborhood four times.
Russian drones also targeted a bakery in Sumy, less than a week after the deadly Palm Sunday strike there, killing a customer and wounding an employee, the regional prosecutor's office said. Photos released by the agency showed rows of Easter cakes stacked inside a devastated building, covered in thick dust, as a huge hole gaped in the wall behind them and rubble piled up on the floor.
Last Sunday바카라 게임 웹사이트s strike on Sumy, resulting in mass casualties, was the second large-scale missile attack to claim civilian lives in just over a week. Some 20 people, including nine children, died on April 4 as missiles struck Zelenskyy바카라 게임 웹사이트s hometown of Kryvyi Rih.