If anyone — obviously someone with more time and greater fortitude than I have remaining — ever decides to compile a list of “Greatest Quotations From the Second Trump Administration,” this will surely be at the top of the Marco Rubio chapter:

“If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on.”

And he followed with:

“We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable.”

That’s it, then? Just wash our hands of the whole thing and walk away . . . leaving an entire nation at the mercy of Vladimir Putin’s army of conscripts, mercenaries and criminals, and the rest of Europe preparing to be next?

Well, yes . . . that is what the U.S. Secretary of State said on Friday in Paris, following high-level talks with European and Ukrainian officials. And his comments were quickly confirmed by Donald Trump to reporters in the Oval Office, when he said that Rubio was “right . . . [n]o specific number of days, but quickly, we want to get it done.” [Alex Stambaugh, Max Saltman, et al., CNN, April 18, 2025.]

Asked by CNN’s Pamela Brown what was meant by “moving on,” an unnamed U.S. official said that Rubio was “communicating the president’s views,” and that Trump “doesn’t have limitless patience for people to posture and play games.” [Id.]

In other words, Trump’s grand promise to end the three-year-old war within 24 hours of taking office hasn’t exactly worked out according to plan, and he’s losing patience . . . not to mention, credibility. It wasn’t clear whom he was blaming for the failure of negotiations — that seems to change on an almost daily basis — but doubtless it will be someone other than himself. He did say:

“If, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘You’re foolish, you’re foolish. You’re horrible people,’ and we’re just going to take a pass — but hopefully we won’t have to do that.” [Id.]

I do so love Trump’s Churchillian eloquence . . . don’t you?

When asked what progress he would be looking for in order to continue negotiations, he said he would “have to see an enthusiasm to want to end it [from both sides] soon.” [Id.]

And from Moscow, also on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was “striving to settle this conflict. The contacts are quite complicated because the topic of Ukrainian settlement is also not simple. . . . Certain developments already exist, but of course there are still many difficult discussions ahead.” [Id.]

Ah, Dima, my man . . . as always, the master of understatement and obfuscation. Thanks for your input.

On the same day, the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, was hit by a massive Russian missile attack.

*. *. *

And thus ends another week of high-level international diplomacy. Henry Kissinger would have been so proud.

Rest in peace, Dr. Kissinger. You did your best.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
4/19/25