President Donald Trump signaled on Friday that the United States may walk away from its diplomatic efforts to broker peace in Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire.
“If one of the sides makes things too difficult, we’ll just say, ‘You’re being foolish,’ and we’ll step back,” Trump told reporters. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
His remarks came shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded a high-level meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and senior officials from Ukraine, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The talks marked the first joint session of this kind, suggesting a shift toward broader European collaboration in ceasefire negotiations.
While Ukrainian officials have reportedly agreed to multiple ceasefire proposals — both temporary and long-term Russia has yet to formally commit, despite informally observing a 30-day pause on strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“If we’re so far apart that there’s no deal possible, the president is ready to move on,” Rubio said following the discussions. He described the talks as “very positive,” but warned that the administration isn’t willing to endlessly pursue stalled negotiations. “We’re not going to keep traveling the world for meeting after meeting with no results. We’ll focus on other priorities if that’s the case.”
It remains unclear what the U.S. approach will be if Russia ultimately refuses to withdraw or comply with ceasefire terms. Trump has previously floated the possibility of new economic penalties. In a recent interview, he expressed anger over Putin’s resistance to a ceasefire, warning that further inaction could trigger stiff secondary sanctions.
“If we can’t reach a deal, and if I believe Russia is to blame and I might then we’ll hit oil exports,” Trump said. “That means anyone buying oil from Russia won’t be allowed to do business with the U.S. We’ll impose tariffs 25%, maybe more, up to 50%.”
When pressed on how long Russia has to comply, Trump declined to give a specific deadline but emphasized urgency. “It needs to happen quickly we want to get this done,” he said.
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