Trump says US ‘going to take a pass’ on Ukraine peace talks if parties make it difficult

WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that the US may “take a pass” on its efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if either side makes negotiations too difficult, CNN reported. “If, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘You’re foolish, you’re foolish. You’re horrible people,’ and we’re just going to take a pass,” Trump said.

Despite the warning, Trump expressed cautious optimism about securing a deal, CNN reported. “I think we have a really good chance of getting it done. It’s coming to a head right now”, he added. Trump’s remarks came after a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested abandoning the peace efforts in Ukraine within “days”.

Trump on Russia Ukraine negotiations: If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult we’re just going to say you are foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people and we’re going to just take a pass. pic.twitter.com/6wCj9Z72cg

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Speaking in Paris after high-level talks with European, Ukrainian, and Russian officials, Rubio stressed the urgency of determining whether the war can be ended or not. “We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable”, he told reporters before departing Paris.

Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff met with European and Ukrainian allies as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing push to end war, CNN reported. “If it’s not possible, if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen, then I think the president is probably at a point where he’s going to say we’re done. It’s not our war. We didn’t start it,” Rubio said.

“The United States has been helping Ukraine for the past three years, and we want it to end, but it’s not our war. President Trump has spent 87 days at the highest level of this government, repeatedly making efforts to bring this war to an end. We are now reaching a point where we need to decide and determine whether this is even possible or not. Which is why we’re engaging both sides”, he added. (ANI)