(VOVWORLD) - The US has stepped up diplomatic and political efforts to reach a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is very close to obtaining a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, fanning hopes for an end to the 3-year fighting.
 A site in Kiev is destroyed by an airstrike on April 24. (photo: Reuters) |
Washington’s deadline
Western media reports that there has been some progress in negotiations toward a US-initiated peace deal. Several senior US officials, including special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin twice in recent weeks, have publicly disclosed some of the agreement’s terms, which involve significant territorial concessions from Russia and Ukraine.
The US administration is keen to achieve a major diplomatic breakthrough as President Trump approaches his 100th day in office on April 30. One of his key campaign promises was to "end the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours." US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the conflict can be ended. "Both sides must agree to this. We showed them the way forward. These ideas were discussed."
James Nixey, Director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House in the UK, said the pace of negotiations has fallen short of initial expectations, causing impatience within the US administration to grow. Secretary Rubio said following talks with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on April 18 that the US might end its mediation role if there is no progress. President Trump said Friday that the US has imposed separate deadlines on Ukraine and Russia, but he did not provide specifics.
“I have my own deadline. We want it to be fast. We have a deadline. After that, we will have a very much different attitude,” said Trump.
 US President Trump is said to become impatient with the pace of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. (Photo: AFP) |
A possible withdrawal scenario
The key question now is whether US pressure will be enough to compel Russia and Ukraine to reach a deal. Speaking to CBS, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the US-Russia negotiations are going in the right direction, with only a few points needing more discussion. In contrast, Ukraine has taken a firmer stance, rejecting some US proposals relating to territorial concessions.
European countries, which have been excluded from the peace talks, have built their own programs to help Kyiv, fearing that certain terms in the US’s proposed deal would be detrimental to Ukraine.
If no breakthrough is achieved in the coming days, the US’s withdrawal from its peace-brokering role is likely.
Nixey said: Washington could absolutely walk away from the Ukraine talks. This is a very different America to the one we saw 12 months ago, one which does not particularly care about the faith of Ukraine. As a result of that, if it doesn’t get what it wants, it doesn’t solve the problems as it claimed, then it would seem as a reasonable play for this administration to walk away from this conflict.”
If that happens, the Russia-Ukraine conflict could drag on indefinitely. Nixed said Moscow and Kyiv may pursue separate strategies if the US-backed peace plan fails to meet their demands. Such a scenario would increase global instability at a time when the world economy is already facing major challenges.