US will soon 'take a pass' if no Ukraine deal
President Donald Trump said Friday the United States will "take a pass" on brokering further Ukraine war talks unless there is quick progress from Moscow and Kyiv.
Trump was speaking after Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented -- following talks with European allies -- that Washington would "move on" if a truce did not seem "doable" within days.
"Yeah very shortly," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked to confirm what Rubio had said. "No specific number of days, but quickly. We want to get it done."
Trump refused to cast blame on either Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the February 2022 full-scale invasion of pro-Western Ukraine, or Ukrainian President Voloydmyr Zelensky. But he insisted both sides had to make progress.
"Now if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say: 'You're foolish. You're fools. You're horrible people' -- and we're going to just take a pass," Trump said. "But hopefully we won't have to do that."
Trump boasted repeatedly before returning for a second presidential term that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours. He claimed recently that he was being sarcastic.
Ukraine has agreed to a full temporary ceasefire and accused Russia of stalling on a deal to get a better negotiating position.
Trump stunned Western capitals when he opened direct talks with Putin in February, soon after taking office. He said he hoped the Russian leader was not dragging his feet.
"I hope not," he said when asked if Putin was stalling. "I'll let you know soon."
Trump denied that he was being "played" by the former KGB agent, who denied Russia was going to invade right up until the eve of the attack.
"Nobody's playing me, I'm trying to help," Trump said.
White House
US President Donald Trump and his administration are studying dismissing independent Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell is an option, his top White House economic aide said Friday.
"The president and his team will continue to study that matter," National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told reporters when asked if firing the central bank chief was a possibility, one day after Trump lashed out at him.
The US president does not have direct authority to fire Federal Reserve governors, but Trump could initiate a lengthy process to attempt to unseat Powell by proving there was "cause" to do so.
Trump has frequently criticized the Fed chairman, whom he originally nominated during his first term, accusing Powell of playing politics.
Powell had warned Wednesday that Trump's sweeping tariffs would likely push up prices and constrain economic growth, and could put the Fed in the unenviable position of having to choose between tackling inflation and unemployment.