U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that this week could be "pivotal" in the negotiations for peace in Ukraine, after which the U.S. will decide whether to continue its involvement.

This statement was made by Rubio during an interview on NBC News.

Rubio on the "pivotal week" for the peace process

He noted that Ukraine and Russia are now "closer than ever in the last three years to reaching an agreement".

"I believe this will be a decisive week. We must decide whether to continue this initiative or shift our focus to other important matters," Rubio said.

The Secretary also reiterated that the U.S. has shown Russia and Ukraine the "finish line" for ending the conflict.

"Both sides just need to agree on this. We have shown them the path forward. We discussed these ideas… We have pointed them to the finish line," he added.

Previously, on April 18, Rubio had stated that the U.S. expected progress in achieving peace in Ukraine within a few days.

Otherwise, he said, President Donald Trump would be informed that further negotiations no longer make sense. On the same day, Trump confirmed that the U.S. would withdraw from peace talks if one side "significantly complicates" the process.

Rubio declined to travel to London: what happened

The U.S. Secretary of State did not participate in the scheduled talks in London on April 23 aimed at finding ways to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

On April 23, a quadrilateral meeting took place in London involving representatives from Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and France.

The American delegation was supposed to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys of the U.S. President Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.

The American delegation was set to meet with foreign ministers and national security advisors from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.