Conflicting signals from the Trump administration regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine as fighting intensifies on the ground

US President Donald Trump warned Thursday that Washington would ignore talks to end the war in Ukraine within days unless Moscow and Kyiv make rapid progress.

Trump’s comments came just hours after his Foreign Minister Marcos Barroso said in Paris that the United States had set the clock and could withdraw from its mediation role in the negotiations.

Trump is pressuring both sides to reach a truce, but has so far failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and repeated negotiations with Moscow.

“If either side, for whatever reason, makes it too difficult, all we’ll say is, ‘You’re fools… You’re stupid… You’re a terrible people…’ and we’ll just ignore it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “but hopefully, we won’t have to do that,” Trump added.

Trump avoided blaming Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the war in Ukraine, stressing that both sides must make progress.

But Trump warned that the decision to withdraw from the talks could be made very soon, noting “there is no specific number of days, but we want to get the deal done quickly”.

For his part, US Vice President JD Vance affirmed in Rome on Friday that he is optimistic about ending the war in Ukraine and informed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that he would update her on developments in the negotiations.

“I won’t prejudge, but we are optimistic that we can end this brutal war,” he said.

Vance’s statements contrast with those of Rubio, who said it is essential to determine in the coming days whether peace is achievable in Ukraine, stressing that the United States has other priorities.

Rubio’s remarks came after a meeting in Paris with European and Ukrainian leaders in an attempt to coordinate their stance toward Moscow to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2023.

For its part, the Kremlin said that the 30-day order not to target Ukrainian energy facilities, which took effect in March, had expired, further clouding the possibility of a ceasefire, which Trump seeks to quickly conclude a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

In March, the White House expressed satisfaction at obtaining separate approval from Moscow and Kyiv to halt attacks on energy facilities in the opposition camp.

About a month later, the Kremlin announced its expiration.

“The deadline has expired. Currently, there are no further instructions from the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, President Putin,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press conference in response to a question from an AFP journalist.

Russia declared a truce on March 18 following a phone call between Putin and Trump, but Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations of repeatedly violating it.

Before announcing this truce, which is limited to energy facilities, Trump had initially proposed a complete and unconditional ceasefire, which Kyiv accepted in principle but Putin rejected.

On Thursday, Americans, Europeans, and Ukrainians met in Paris in an attempt to coordinate their stance toward Moscow to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Americans, Europeans, and Ukrainians agreed to meet next week in London, following the Paris meetings on Thursday.

Two months ago, Trump abruptly and radically shifted his stance on Russia, repeatedly using Moscow’s arguments, particularly regarding the causes of the conflict, raising concerns in Kyiv about the crucial US military support for the country.

Some, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, are calling for the establishment of a European military unit in Ukraine once a potential ceasefire is reached.

However, this option is provoking divisions among Kyiv’s allies and represents a red line for Moscow.

Ukraine imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies on Friday without providing a reason.

But these measures come after Zelensky on Thursday accused China of supplying Russia with weapons and helping it produce them.

Beijing denied the accusation on Friday, saying it had never delivered lethal weapons to Moscow in the context of the war in Ukraine, and criticizing Zelensky’s “arbitrary accusations”.

On the ground, Russian attacks continue, with one person killed and at least 103 injured in a missile attack on Kharkov on Friday, according to the city’s mayor, Igor Terekhov.

In Sumy, where 35 people were killed on Sunday in two consecutive Russian military strikes, a new drone attack left one dead and one wounded, according to the local military administration.

The Russian military said in a statement on Friday that these strikes targeted Ukrainian military sites.

Meanwhile, the Americans and Ukrainians signed a letter of intent on Thursday, marking the first step toward concluding an agreement on American exploitation of Ukrainian natural resources and minerals.

On Friday, Kyiv published a document indicating that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will visit Washington next week to conduct negotiations on the matter, and that both the Americans and Ukrainians want to conclude the negotiations by April 26.

On the eve of that, Trump said the bilateral agreement would be signed next Thursday.

The agreement was supposed to be signed during Zelensky’s visit to the White House in late February, but an unprecedented altercation with the US president that day led to his hasty departure without signing it.