Trump to walk away from Ukraine-Russia peace deal in days—Rubio warns he has 'other priorities

Trump to walk away from Ukraine-Russia peace deal in days—Rubio warns he has 'other priorities.

Donald Trump is prepared to walk away from brokering a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement within days unless meaningful progress is achieved, a senior U.S. official warns. If the president doesn't detect momentum toward a deal, he will pull the plug, saying he has 'other priorities' to address, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.

'We're not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks. 'If it is we're in. If it's not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well,' Rubio made the statement in Paris after urgent meetings with European and Ukrainian leaders.

Rubio indicated that Trump remains interested in reaching an agreement but is prepared to move on if there are no immediate indications of progress. During his election campaign, Trump pledged to conclude the war within his first 24 hours in office. Upon taking office, he tempered that assertion, proposing a potential deal by April or May as challenges continued to arise. Rubio's remarks highlight the growing frustrations regarding the lack of advancement in addressing an increasing array of geopolitical issues. This follows Trump's assertion that the war in Ukraine would not have occurred "if Zelensky was competent," as he promised to "stop the killing."

On Monday, Trump attributed the war to Ukrainian President Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his predecessor Joe Biden, suggesting that Putin would not have invaded if he had been in power in the United States. "If Biden were competent, and if Zelensky were competent, and I question whether he is... that war should never have been allowed to happen," he stated to reporters at the White House on Monday. He reiterated his belief that "everyone is to blame" for the conflict, emphasizing, "Biden could have prevented it, Zelensky could have prevented it, and Putin should never have initiated it."

'I'm not saying that anybody's an angel, but I went four years and it wasn't even a question. He would never - and I told him 'don't do it, you're not going to do it.' And it was the apple of his eye, but there was no way that he would've done it,' he added.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Trump slams Ukraine war efforts as envoy claims Putin may be ready for ‘permanent peace’

Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of the Ukraine war just as his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, revealed that Vladimir Putin could be open to a “permanent peace” deal.

Witkoff, who met with the Russian leader last week, said the U.S. and Russia “might be on the verge of something very, very important for the world at large.”

Trump also reignited controversy by blaming “millions of deaths” on just “three people,” referencing the war and his recent Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

'Let's say Putin number one, but let's say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky,' Trump said.

'He's always looking to purchase missiles,' he said dismissively of the Ukrainian leader's attempts to maintain his country's defense against the Russian invasion.

'When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war,' Trump said.

'You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.'

Zelensky has made efforts to mend relations, including dispatching a delegation to Washington last week to negotiate a mineral agreement proposed by Trump, which would grant the United States preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources. However, in recent days, Trump has intensified his rhetoric, asserting that a resolution to the Ukraine conflict is achievable, despite Ukrainian claims that Moscow is delaying progress.

'I want to stop the killing, and I think we're doing well in that regard. I think you'll have some very good proposals very soon,' Trump said.

Could a Peace Deal Even Hold Up Legally?

Even if Trump manages to get Russia and Ukraine to the table—and even if both sides actually agree on something—there’s still one big question that could throw the whole thing off course: would it even be legal?

Presidents do have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to foreign policy. But once a deal crosses into things like lifting sanctions, sending weapons, or giving U.S. companies special access to Ukrainian resources, that’s when Congress tends to raise its hand and say, “Not so fast.”

The Constitution lays it out pretty clearly: formal treaties need Senate approval. Of course, that hasn’t stopped presidents from trying to go around that rule before. Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Accord were both done without full Senate sign-off—and both sparked serious legal and political headaches.

If Trump tries something similar, legal experts say he might hit the same wall. Congress could push back, especially if they think the deal messes with military spending, sanctions policy, or long-standing commitments. And depending on how it's structured, the whole thing could end up challenged in court or torn up by the next administration.

In other words, even if there’s political will and diplomatic movement, the legal fight might just be getting started.

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