Trump Says US to ‘Take a Pass’ If Russia or Ukraine Balk on Deal (Full Remarks)

US President Donald Trump signaled he could walk way from efforts to end the war in Ukraine if a deal can’t be found soon, as Russia said a one-month pause on targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure had ended.

“If for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, you’re foolish,” Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. “You’re fools, you’re horrible people, and we’re going to just take a pass. But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

Trump said he did not have a “specific number of days” in mind by which he wanted to see an agreement before walking away, but needed to see quick progress.

“I know when people are playing us, and I know when they’re not,” Trump said. “And I have to see an enthusiasm to want to end it. And I think I see that enthusiasm. I think I see it from both sides.”

His comments followed a meeting of US officials — including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff — with representatives from France, Germany and the UK in Paris on Thursday, where the US indicated its aim was to secure a full ceasefire in Ukraine within weeks, according to people familiar.

Following the meeting, Rubio said the US needed to see in “a matter of days” whether a deal was “doable in the short term.”

“Because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” Rubio told reporters at Le Bourget airport outside of Paris on Friday morning, according to a transcript provided by the State Department.

Rubio also said the European nations could help “move the ball” to get a resolution and that their ideas had been “very helpful and constructive.”

“We had a good meeting yesterday,” he added. “But this isn’t going to go on forever.” The war in Ukraine, now well into its fourth year, “has no military solution to it,” Rubio said. “Neither side has some strategic capability to end this war quickly.”

Trump, who predicted on the campaign trail that he could quickly secure a ceasefire, hits the 100-day mark of his second stint in the White House on April 30.

Trump “has dedicated a lot of time and energy to this, and there are a lot of things going on in the world right now that we need to be focused on,” Rubio told reporters. “There are a lot of other really important things going on that deserve just as much if not more attention.”

Thursday’s talks in Paris also included a meeting between Witkoff and French President Emmanuel Macron and were attended by Ukrainian officials.

US officials indicated they expected to make significant progress soon, and the participants agreed to work toward that, said the people familiar. National security advisers and negotiators from Germany, France, the US and the UK plan to gather again in London next week to follow up on their discussions.

The meetings came almost a week after Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg, where he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for almost five hours. He described the conversation as “compelling,” saying they discussed steps that could end the war and perhaps lead to business opportunities for Russia as well.

European officials have attempted to influence the outcome of peace efforts kicked off by the Trump administration, especially after being sidelined during recent bilateral talks between Russia and the US.

Trump has expressed frustration at the pace of negotiations with Russia, which has so far declined to accept his proposal for a truce in Ukraine as a starting-point for broader peace talks. But the US leader has also at times blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the war that began with Russia’s invasion in 2022.

“President Trump has been clear he wants this conflict brought to a swift, peaceful resolution,” White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said in a statement.

On Friday, the Kremlin said an order to pause strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days had expired, with no updated instructions in place.

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