Trump stands firm: U.S. peace efforts in Ukraine face scrutiny
The President of the USA, Donald Trump, assured that no one is manipulating him in the talks regarding ending the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the USA might abandon efforts to achieve peace if no signs of its attainability emerge.
During a Friday press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump addressed a journalist's question on whether Russia is "playing him" in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. "Nobody's playing me, I'm trying to help," Trump replied.
The President of the USA also agreed with the statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who previously stated that the United States might abandon efforts to achieve peace between Ukraine and Russia if no signs appear soon that it is possible. "Now 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, and we're going to just take a pass. But hopefully we won't have to do that," Trump added.
The USA considers further steps
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during talks in Paris with representatives from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Ukraine, emphasized that the USA should determine whether peace in Ukraine is achievable within a few weeks. "If so, we will engage in it. But if not, we also have other priorities," Rubio said.
In the election campaign, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, but later his statements became less categorical. On January 9, Keith Kellogg, the Special Envoy for Peace in Ukraine, announced that the new president plans to end the conflict within 100 days of inauguration.
