US will know in 'matter of weeks' if Russia is serious about peace or using 'delay tactic': Rubio

Whether Russia is "serious" astir achieving a ceasefire successful Ukraine should go evident successful a "matter of weeks," Secretary of State Macro Rubio told reporters Friday.

"The Russians cognize our presumption successful presumption of wanting to extremity the war, and we volition cognize from their answers precise soon whether they are superior astir proceeding with existent bid oregon whether it is simply a hold tactic," Rubio said astatine NATO office successful Brussels. 

Questions are mounting implicit Moscow’s existent involvement successful engaging with the Trump medication aft it rejected a 30-day ceasefire projected by Ukraine successful aboriginal March, past refused to hold to a Black Sea ceasefire aboriginal that period unless sanctions were lifted.

TOP RUSSIAN NEGOTIATOR SHARES STATUS ON UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AFTER MEETING WITH US COUNTERPART IN DC

President Donald Trump hosts his archetypal Cabinet gathering arsenic helium sits adjacent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio successful Washington, D.C., Feb. 26, 2025.  (Reuters/Brian Snyder)

"[If] It's a hold tactic, the president’s not funny successful that," helium added. "President Trump is not going to autumn into the trap of endless negotiations astir negotiations."

When pressed by reporters, Rubio wouldn’t remark connected what conditions Russia has acceptable retired successful securing a bid deal. 

He did note, though, chapeau adjacent aft nonstop calls with overseas leaders, authoritative readouts don’t ever bespeak what was really discussed. That appeared to beryllium the lawsuit aft President Donald Trump’s telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, erstwhile the White House said Russia had "agreed" to destruct the usage of unit successful the Black Sea.

But the Kremlin aboriginal clarified that immoderate statement was contingent connected the West lifting sanctions.

PUTIN CONSCRIPTS 160K MEN AS RUSSIA EYES UKRAINE OFFENSIVE

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin connected the archetypal time of the G20 acme successful Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

"I conjecture it's portion of the game," Rubio said. "At the extremity of the day, what's going to substance present is whether we're going to determination towards bid oregon not."

Rubio reiterated that Ukraine and Russia would some request to marque concessions to extremity the warfare but declined to accidental what those should be, insisting those details should look done negotiations.

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"Initially, it was important to speech [to the Russians] due to the fact that we haven't talked to them successful a agelong time. But present we've reached the signifier [where] we request to marque progress," helium said, noting it volition beryllium "hard," but helium remains "optimistic."

"There are immoderate promising signs. There are immoderate troubling signs. It's not going to beryllium easy. No 1 ever said this would beryllium easy, but we're going to find retired sooner alternatively than later," Rubio told reporters. "And let's conscionable accidental I'm hopeful. I stay hopeful."