‘This Is Going to Be a Critical Week’: Rubio Says Ukraine Peace Efforts Enter Key Phase

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday, April 27, that the coming week could be “very critical” for efforts to end the war in Ukraine, as President Donald Trump pushes Moscow and Kyiv to reach a deal.

“We’re close, but we’re not close enough,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”  “I think this is going to be a very critical week,” he added.

Trump, who met Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during Pope Francis’ funeral, has grown increasingly impatient with both sides.

In a Truth Social post following the meeting with the Ukrainian leader, Trump questioned whether Putin is truly interested in ending the war, suggesting the Kremlin leader might need to face tougher measures like “banking” penalties or “secondary sanctions.”

Rubio said the United States must decide whether to stay involved in the peace effort or shift focus to other priorities.

“There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic as well,” he said, referring to the prospects for an agreement to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Rubio repeated that there is “no military solution” to the war.

“The only solution to this war is a negotiated settlement where both sides have to give up something they want and accept something they don’t,” he said.

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Vice President JD Vance warned last week that Washington could withdraw from the deal if no progress was made, adding that both parties would have to “give up some of the territory they currently own.”

Ukraine Peace Deal: Kyiv vs. Washington

As talks to end Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine continue behind closed doors, new documents from recent negotiations show the gap between what the US wants – and what Ukraine is willing to consider.

While the exact terms of the US-proposed deal are yet to be publicly declared, media reports say they include US recognition of Crimea as Russian, reversing its longstanding policy declared following Russia’s 2014 annexation.

EXPLAINED: What the US Wants From Ukraine’s Peace Deal – and Why Kyiv Is Pushing Back