U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio stated on Thursday, April 17 that if a resolution to the war in Ukraine is no longer feasible, the United States may have to abandon its efforts and shift focus elsewhere.
“If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on,” Rubio said while speaking to reporters before departing Paris. “We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable.”
His remarks follow meetings held with European and Ukrainian allies, as the U.S., under President Donald Trump’s administration, pushes for an end to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to a State Department readout, a U.S.-drafted outline of a peace plan received an “encouraging reception” during the discussions, though no specifics were disclosed. Rubio also shared the outline with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Speaking further, Rubio emphasized the urgency of assessing the viability of peace:
“We came to Paris to begin discussing specific outlines of what it might take to end the war. If we’re too far apart and this isn’t going to happen, then I believe the president is ready to say we’re done.”
“It’s not our war. We didn’t start it. The United States has been helping Ukraine for the past three years and we want it to end—but it’s not our war,” he added.
Rubio also highlighted President Trump’s personal involvement in peace efforts, stating:
“President Trump has spent 87 days at the highest level of this government making repeated efforts to bring this war to an end. We are now reaching a critical point in determining whether this is even possible, which is why we’re engaging both sides.”
Meanwhile, Russia launched a missile strike on Kharkiv overnight, hitting a residential neighborhood. One person was confirmed dead, and at least 67 others were injured. Authorities fear more may still be trapped under the rubble of a damaged apartment building.
Rubio’s remarks came just a day after the U.S. and Ukraine took a step toward a long-anticipated minerals agreement.
Ukrainian Economy Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko announced that Kyiv and Washington had signed a Memorandum of Intent, paving the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement and the establishment of an Investment Fund for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
“We are happy to announce the signing of this memorandum with our American partners,” Svyrydenko shared on X.
“This document is the result of the professional work of our negotiating teams, which recently concluded another round of discussions in Washington.”
She added that the next steps involve finalizing the agreement’s text, signing it formally, and seeking ratification by both nations’ parliaments. “There is still a lot to do,” she noted, “but the current pace and significant progress give us reason to believe this deal will greatly benefit both countries.”
The original version of the deal had stalled earlier in the year following a public disagreement between President Zelensky and President Trump.
Negotiations have since resumed, with U.S. Treasury officials recently hosting a Ukrainian delegation in Washington to iron out remaining issues