Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some progress on a peace settlement had already been made but that contacts with Washington were difficult. He said Russia was striving to resolve the conflict while ensuring its own interests. Moscow remained open to dialogue with the United States, he added.
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The talks in Paris on Thursday were the first substantive, high-level and in-person talks on Trump’s peace push that have included European powers. Rubio said a US peace framework he presented received an “encouraging reception.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office called the talks constructive and positive.
Vice President JD Vance, speaking in Rome as he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said he was optimistic the United States could help end this “very brutal war”.
A US official said the sides would re-engage in London next week, giving Ukraine time to agree fully to a “term sheet” presented by Washington. Kyiv was ready for a comprehensive ceasefire over sea, land and air for at least 30 days or longer, the official said.
Growing frustrations as peace deals prove elusive
Trump promised during his election campaign to end the war in Ukraine within his first 24 hours in the White House. He moderated that claim on taking office, suggesting a deal by April or May as obstacles mounted.
He has pressured both sides to come to the negotiating table, threatening tougher sanctions on Russia or an end to billions of dollars in US military support for Kyiv.
Both Ukraine and Russia showed up for US-brokered talks in Saudi Arabia, which resulted in a partial ceasefire, but nothing more. Meanwhile, the war has continued, including a recent Russian missile attack that hit Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, killing 35 people –an attack Trump called a “mistake”.
A source familiar with internal deliberations said Trump had made clear to his team he was questioning whether it was worthwhile sticking with the talks to break the impasse.
The first US official said Rubio’s comments were reflecting Trump’s frustration with the issue and a concern that this will soon be “Trump’s war.”
If Washington walks away, efforts to broker a peace would likely founder because no other nation is able to bring similar pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv.
Other impacts are unclear. The United States could keep its current policy on the conflict unchanged, maintaining sanctions on Russia and keeping US aid flowing to Kyiv. Alternatively, Trump could decide to halt payments to Ukraine.
Trump said on Thursday he expected to sign a minerals deal with Kyiv next week after an attempt in February fell apart following Zelensky’s Oval Office clash with Vance and the Republican president.
Rubio said he spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the Paris talks and briefed him on elements of the US peace framework.
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Putin has said he wants Ukraine to drop its NATO ambitions, permanently cede to Russia the four regions it has lost and limit the size of its army. Kyiv says those demands are tantamount to demanding its capitulation.
Rubio said the Europeans had a central role to play in any peace pact, especially as their sanctions on Russia would likely need to be lifted to secure an accord.
He said the issue of US security guarantees came up in the Paris talks, adding they were an issue “we can fix in a way that’s acceptable to everyone.” But, he cautioned, “we have bigger challenges that we need to figure out.”
Moscow has in effect refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed. Russia has made it conditional on a halt in Ukraine’s mobilisation efforts and Western arms supplies, which are demands rejected by Ukraine.
Since then, Russia has stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure while reducing its strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities.
On Friday morning, a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s second-biggest city, Kharkiv, killed one person and injured 57 more, including five children. The attack damaged 15 apartment buildings, an educational institution and a civilian enterprise, emergency services said.
China hits back at Ukraine’s claims
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry dismissed as “groundless” an accusation by Zelensky that the country had been supplying weapons to Russia.
Despite maintaining close economic ties with Russia during Moscow’s three-year war in Ukraine, China has sought to project an image of neutrality and denies any involvement in the war.
Friday’s disclaimer followed Zelensky’s remarks at a press conference that China was supplying weapons and gunpowder to Russia, while also accusing it of producing weapons on Russian territory.
China has never made lethal weapons available to any party to the Ukraine crisis, ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular news conference.
“China’s position on the Ukrainian issue has always been clear,” Lin said. “It has been actively committed to promoting a ceasefire and ending the conflict, as well as encouraging peace talks.”