US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance expressed uncertainty over the chances of reaching a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine one day after Washington and Kyiv signed a deal that gives the United States access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
"I think we know where Ukraine is, and we know where Russia is right now…. They're closer, but they're still far apart," Rubio said on Fox News on May 1. Vance, speaking in a separate interview on the network, went further, saying the war in Ukraine is not going to end "any time soon."
Rubio said if there isn't a real breakthrough on the war in Ukraine in the near future, US President Donald Trump will have to decide how much more time to dedicate to the negotiation process.
The United States had already warned that negotiations had reached a "critical" phase, and a lack of progress could mean it would walk away from its efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
Rubio said last week that, while "real progress" had been made in talks to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "those last couple of steps of this journey were always going to be the hardest ones, and it needs to happen soon."
Trump, who began his second term as president in January, has made ending the war a top priority. He has called for an immediate and full cease-fire and demanded that Russia stop its indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Vance said he was "optimistic" about securing a halt to fighting but it would ultimately be up to Kyiv and Moscow.
"They're the ones who have to take the final step," he said. It is "going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other's terms for peace are. It's going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict."
"It's not going anywhere…. It's not going to end any time soon," Vance added.
Ukraine says it wants a cease-fire of at least 30 days to open the way for talks on securing a just peace. Russia has not agreed to such a truce, but President Vladimir Putin has unilaterally announced a three-day cease-fire next week to coincide with Victory Day, which marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and the Kremlin said he is open to direct talks with Kyiv.
Deadly Drone And Missile Attacks
Russian forces continue to launch deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities almost nightly. Zelenskyy has called on Ukraine’s Western partners to take tougher measures against the Kremlin.
Both the United States and Ukraine on May 1 hailed the minerals deal, which was to have been signed on February 28 at the White House. But a tense exchange between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance resulted in the cancellation of the signing ceremony.
Both sides made efforts to patch up relations, culminating in a one-to-one meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy on April 26 on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican.
The minerals agreement was signed on April 30 by Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Ukraine said the agreement secured key interests after protracted negotiations, including full sovereignty over its own rare earth minerals, which are vital for new technologies.
Washington called it a new form of US commitment to Kyiv after Trump ended military aid soon after he returned to office.
"This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term," Bessent said.
Trump had initially demanded rights to Ukraine's mineral wealth as compensation for tens of billions of dollars’ worth of US weapons sent to aid Ukraine’s military under former President Joe Biden.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on May 1 that there were no debts to be paid from past US aid to Kyiv. He called the agreement “truly equal” and one that “creates an opportunity for investments in Ukraine.”
“This is working together with America and on fair terms, when both the Ukrainian state and the United States, which helps us in defense, can earn in partnership,” he added.
