OAN Staff James Meyers
8:27 AM – Friday, May 2, 2025
A State Department official announced that the United States will be stepping away from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to help end their years-long war.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told the press that the U.S. “will not be the mediators” moving forward, citing President Donald Trump’s frustration between both sides unwilling to go to the negotiating table.
“We are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings,” she said, adding that the U.S. will remain committed to helping reach a peace deal.
“It is now between the two parties, and now — now is the time that they need to present and develop concrete ideas about how this conflict is going to end. It’s going to be up to them,” Bruce said.
The major announcement came just one day after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a historic mineral deal, which now creates a shared investment fund for which both countries will contribute. The U.S. will now have the option to earn funding in exchange for military equipment, training or technology that it gives to Ukraine’s military.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s approved military aid is expected to end in June and it remains up in the air if the GOP-controlled House will approve of additional aid.
Nevertheless, Ukraine has continued to purchase military equipment and weapons directly from U.S. manufacturers. The State Department announced Tuesday that it had signed off on a license for “the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Ukraine” worth more than $50 million.
According to the New York Post, Ukraine has hopes that the mineral deal will persuade the U.S. government to sell military equipment to Ukraine, which the White House hasn’t done in the past.
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have stated recently that it will be up to Russia and Ukraine to end the war.
“It’s going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict,” Vance told Fox News’ “Special Report” Thursday night.
How the war stands, Vance said, “It’s not going anywhere.”
“It’s not going to end any time soon,” he said.
“For the Ukrainians, yes, of course they are angry that they were invaded, but are we going to continue to lose thousands and thousands of soldiers over a few miles of territory this or that way?”
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