Rubio Signals End to U.S. Russia-Ukraine Mediation Efforts - Reuters

The United States will halt its efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia in the coming days unless there is a clear indication that an agreement is attainable, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 18, Orda.kz reports, citing Reuters.

Speaking after talks with European and Ukrainian officials in Paris, Rubio noted that while President Donald Trump remains interested in reaching a resolution, other priorities are taking precedence.

Meanwhile, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya dismissed the prospect of a complete ceasefire as "unrealistic" during an April 17 briefing, casting doubt on diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the conflict, The Kyiv Independent reports.

His remarks followed Ukraine’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire proposal introduced during earlier U.S.-led negotiations in Jeddah on March 11. Nebenzya claimed that even a limited truce on energy infrastructure, reportedly agreed upon during March 25 talks in Riyadh, was not honored.

We had an attempt at a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure facilities, which was not observed by the Ukrainian side. <...> Under the current circumstances, it is simply unrealistic to talk about a (full) ceasefire at this stage. Nebenzya said.