Trump says US will walk away if Ukraine negotiations get ‘very difficult’
US President Donald Trump has indicated that Washington may halt its efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict if Moscow and Kiev do not engage in negotiations. He expressed, however, that the US still hopes for an end...
TroibNews 
US President Donald Trump has indicated that Washington may halt its efforts to secure a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict if Moscow and Kiev do not engage in negotiations. He expressed, however, that the US still hopes for an end to the fighting.
During a press conference on Friday, Trump addressed comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested that the White House might withdraw from attempts to facilitate a settlement.
“If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people,” Trump stated, adding, “We’re going to just take a pass, but hopefully we won’t have to do that.”
Earlier that day, Rubio informed reporters that the White House is still assessing whether a peace deal is “doable.”
“We need to figure out here, now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio commented.
While he declined to elaborate on the discussions, he referred to them as a “broad framework.”
“Marco [Rubio] is right in saying we want to see it [the conflict] end,” Trump acknowledged, remarking, “I think we have a good chance of solving the problem.”
Trump has consistently emphasized his desire for a swift peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Since taking office in January, the US and Russia have participated in negotiations, with multiple rounds of high-level talks taking place, even as Kiev and its Western allies advocate for escalation.
Moscow has stated its willingness to engage in peace talks, contingent upon addressing its fundamental security demands. Russia opposes any NATO presence in Ukraine and has insisted that Kiev recognize its new borders while abandoning ambitions to join NATO or acquire nuclear weapons.
However, the Russian government has ruled out a conflict freeze, arguing it would only set the stage for renewed hostilities later, citing Ukraine's multiple breaches of a US-mediated moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure as evidence of Kiev's untrustworthiness.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the ongoing negotiations to achieve peace in the Ukraine conflict as “difficult,” but affirmed Russia's commitment to resolving the crisis. He noted that while some progress has been made, many challenging issues remain to be addressed.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
During a press conference on Friday, Trump addressed comments made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested that the White House might withdraw from attempts to facilitate a settlement.
“If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say you’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people,” Trump stated, adding, “We’re going to just take a pass, but hopefully we won’t have to do that.”
Earlier that day, Rubio informed reporters that the White House is still assessing whether a peace deal is “doable.”
“We need to figure out here, now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio commented.
While he declined to elaborate on the discussions, he referred to them as a “broad framework.”
“Marco [Rubio] is right in saying we want to see it [the conflict] end,” Trump acknowledged, remarking, “I think we have a good chance of solving the problem.”
Trump has consistently emphasized his desire for a swift peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Since taking office in January, the US and Russia have participated in negotiations, with multiple rounds of high-level talks taking place, even as Kiev and its Western allies advocate for escalation.
Moscow has stated its willingness to engage in peace talks, contingent upon addressing its fundamental security demands. Russia opposes any NATO presence in Ukraine and has insisted that Kiev recognize its new borders while abandoning ambitions to join NATO or acquire nuclear weapons.
However, the Russian government has ruled out a conflict freeze, arguing it would only set the stage for renewed hostilities later, citing Ukraine's multiple breaches of a US-mediated moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure as evidence of Kiev's untrustworthiness.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the ongoing negotiations to achieve peace in the Ukraine conflict as “difficult,” but affirmed Russia's commitment to resolving the crisis. He noted that while some progress has been made, many challenging issues remain to be addressed.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
