Ukraine and Russia must deliver 'concrete proposals' now or US will step back

US State Department says 'now is the time' for progress

Ukrainian service members of the 25th Sicheslav Airborne Brigade fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launch system towards Russian troops near the frontline town of Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine. ReutersShow less

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the US will end its role as mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war unless solid proposals for progress are delivered.

Mr Rubio has previously voiced frustration about the pace of negotiations and the continuing bloodshed in Ukraine, which Russia invaded more than three years ago.

“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted Mr Rubio as saying.

“How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to [US President Donald Trump]. If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process.”

She repeated that “now is the time” and called Mr Rubio's statement “pivotal”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently proposed a three-day ceasefire around Moscow's commemorations of the end of the Second World War, but has rebuffed a Ukrainian-backed US call for a 30-day ceasefire.

The US wants “not a three-day moment so you can celebrate something else – a complete, durable ceasefire and an end to the conflict”, Ms Bruce said.

In his campaign, Mr Trump vowed to end Russia’s war in Ukraine in the first 24 hours of his administration. After a weekend meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican, he called on Mr Putin to make a deal on the terms promoted by US mediators.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Monday that Mr Trump is increasingly frustrated with leaders of both countries.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on April 25. Getty / AFP