Trump administration pressures Ukraine to end war without demanding anything from Russia - Axios

U.S. officials are pressuring Ukraine to call for a ceasefire, but are doing nothing to influence Russia's position.

According to Censor.NET, Axios reports this with reference to American and European officials.

According to the sources, Trump, who had previously promised to achieve peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, is disappointed with the delay in negotiations and is ready to abandon the US role in this matter. In particular, in a private conversation, the American leader said that he was disappointed with the ineffectiveness of these talks.

One U.S. official noted that Trump may focus on other areas of foreign policy if an agreement is not reached soon.

"We need to figure out... within a few days whether it's possible to do it in the short term," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on ending the war in Ukraine.

However, one of the European diplomats added that Rubio did not specify what exactly such a step would look like, so he only said that the United States wants rapid progress.

In turn, two other European diplomats emphasized: "Rubio has made it clear that Trump is losing patience and may withdraw from the process if a deal is not reached soon."

Also, three European diplomats emphasized that Rubio's words were primarily aimed at Ukraine. In particular, a source close to the Ukrainian government also said that these statements were made to put pressure on Kyiv. In addition, the source expressed concern that the US president's withdrawal from the talks could suspend US military aid to Ukraine.

At the same time, European diplomats added that during the meetings in Paris, Rubio did not talk about increasing pressure on Russia.

"It seemed that Rubio and Vitkoff were under a lot of pressure from Trump and were trying to pass it on to other players," said one of the interlocutors.

"Ukraine was quick to agree to Trump's plans for a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia was slow to accept the proposal, arguing that it was winning on the battlefield and therefore had a number of conditions for any peace deal. As a result, it is unlikely that the Kremlin will be particularly concerned that Trump will abandon diplomacy," Axios summarized.

Earlier, the New York Post reported that a complete ceasefire in Ukraine could be agreed upon in London next week.

Нагадаємо: В уряді кажуть, що угоду про надра зі США підпишуть у два етапи.