US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance expressed uncertainty about the chances of reaching a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
"I think we know where Ukraine is and we know where Russia is right now... They're closer, but still far apart," Rubio said on Fox News on May 1.
Meanwhile, Vance, speaking in a separate interview for the same network, went further, saying that the war in Ukraine will not end "anytime soon."
Rubio said that, if there is no real progress in the war in Ukraine soon, US President Donald Trump will have to decide how much time he will devote to the negotiation process.
The US has previously warned that the negotiations have entered a "critical" phase, and a lack of progress could mean Washington's withdrawal from efforts to mediate an end to the conflict.
Rubio said last week that while "real progress" has been made in talks to end Russia's occupation of Ukraine, "the final steps in this journey were always going to be the hardest, and that has to happen quickly."
Trump, who began his second term in January, has made ending the war a top priority. He has called for an immediate and complete ceasefire and demanded that Russia stop attacking Ukrainian cities.
Vance said he was "optimistic" about achieving a ceasefire, but stressed that ultimately the decision will lie with Kiev and Moscow.
"They are the ones who must take the final step," he declared. "Now it is up to the Russians and the Ukrainians, as each side recognizes the other's conditions for peace. It is up to them to reach an agreement and stop this extremely brutal conflict."
"This is not going anywhere... It's not going to end anytime soon," Vance added.
Ukraine has said it wants a ceasefire of at least 30 days to pave the way for talks on a just peace. Russia has not agreed to such a ceasefire, but President Vladimir Putin has unilaterally declared a three-day ceasefire next week, coinciding with Victory Day, and the Kremlin has said it is open to direct talks with Kiev.
Russian forces are continuing to carry out deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities almost every night. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for Ukraine's Western partners to take tougher measures against the Kremlin. /REL (A2 Televizion)
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