A top aide to Donald Trump has revealed that he might 'walk away' from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that the US president is becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress in the war-ending negotiations.
Rubio, who made history after becoming the first Latino to serve as the country's top diplomat, was at a meeting in Paris to discuss ending the war.
The 53-year-old was in talks with the UK, EU and Ukrainian delegations, as well as attending a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Although Ukraine’s economy minister said the US and Ukraine signed a memorandum for the stalled minerals deal, Rubio said the Trump administration insists that a peace deal with Russia needs to be figured out 'now'.
Rubio told reporters that his aim is to find out 'very soon, and I’m talking about a matter of days, not a matter of weeks' if a deal is at all possible.
“If it can, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to facilitate that and make sure that it … ends in a durable and just way,” he explained.
“If it’s not possible, if we’re so far apart that this is not going to happen, then I think the president’s probably at a point where he’s going to say, well, we’re done.
“We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on.”
Last month, Rubio told Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a peace deal 'so people will stop dying, so bullets will stop flying'.
Speaking after US and Ukrainian officials held talks, he said there was 'no military solution to the conflict' and added: "If [Russia] says no, it will tell us a lot about what their goals are and what their mindset is."
Prior to becoming a trusted colleague, Rubio's relationship with Trump got off to a rocky start during his first run for presidency in 2016.
That year, he faced off against the future president at a rally in Dallas in February 2016.
Rubio spent 10 minutes laying into Trump, who referred to him as 'little Marco'.
"A tough guy?" Rubio said. "This guy inherited $200m.
"He's never faced any struggle." He also poked fun at Trump's 'small hands'.
As it turned out, Rubio became a lot more aligned with Trump after the election win.
Topics: US News, Russia, Ukraine, World News, Donald Trump, Politics
Anish Vij