European and Ukrainian officials are concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump is about to use minor progress in peace talks as an excuse to leave the process, the Financial Times (FT) reported on April 28, citing undisclosed sources.
Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with both Ukraine and Russia as his self-imposed 100-day deadline to broker a settlement is coming to an end.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the coming week will be decisive for Washington's future involvement, even as Kyiv warns about "dangerous" repercussions of the U.S.'s exit.
"This is going to be a really important week in which we're going to have to decide whether we want to continue to engage in this effort, or whether it's time for us to shift our focus to other issues that are just as, if not more, important," Rubio said.
European and Ukrainian officials are now convinced that Trump will seek to portray any kind of breakthrough as a justification to walk away, even without achieving stable and lasting deal, the FT reported.
According to the outlet, U.S. officials worry that their talks with Russia are leading nowhere and have begun discussing short-term solutions that would fit into Trump's timeline.
"This is a very dangerous moment. I don't think it sends a very good signal if the U.S. pulls out. We really hope that President Trump will support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia," Zelensky said last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced a three-day ceasefire on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The move was dismissed by both Washington and Kyiv, who instead called for a complete halt to hostilities.
Ukraine maintains that a full and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step toward peace talks, a proposal that Russia continues to reject.
The Kremlin recently proclaimed its readiness to enter into talks with Ukraine "without preconditions," even as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated maximalist demands, including international recognition of Moscow's annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Zelensky met Trump in the Vatican on April 26 for a brief meeting that was described by both sides as positive. The U.S. president followed up the discussion with a social media post criticizing Putin over aerial attacks on Ukraine and reiterating threats of sanctions.
Trump has repeatedly warned he would impose additional economic measures against Russia, but has yet to take the step. In turn, the new U.S. administration has exerted considerably greater pressure on Ukraine, even briefly pausing all military aid in March.
The U.S. has been Kyiv's leading military supporter throughout the full-scale war, though Trump is yet to approve any new aid package. A possible exit from the peace efforts raises concerns that the U.S. might also cease all backing for Ukraine, including intelligence support.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
