U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday after meeting with European and Ukrainian leaders in Paris that the United States might stop efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war within "days" if no progress is seen in peace negotiations:
If we cannot end the war in Ukraine, we need to move forward, and we need to make decisions very quickly, I'm talking about within days, to see if this is feasible.
When asked about this at the White House on Friday, U.S. President Trump said Rubio was "right". When pressed about when the U.S. might withdraw from negotiations, Trump did not provide a specific timeline, emphasizing "no specific number of days, but we hope to resolve it soon":
If one side makes things very difficult, we will say "you are stupid, you are a bad person" and then we will withdraw, but we hope we do not need to do so.
When asked if military aid to Ukraine would continue if negotiations collapse, Trump refused to give a clear answer, saying he needs to see "enthusiasm from both sides to end the war" and predicts he will "know soon".
On the other hand, to promote an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, foreign media suggests the Trump administration seems prepared to acknowledge Russia's control of Crimea and propose a ceasefire on the front lines. Sources reveal that the U.S. plans to discuss this with Europe and Ukraine in London next week, and the Trump administration is simultaneously planning to arrange another meeting between Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian officials to push Russia to join the U.S.-designed peace framework.
Of course, this could also be Trump's typical approach of creating pressure through statements to achieve his desired outcome, with many variables still at play that will simultaneously impact market dynamics.
Bitcoin Continues Slight Fluctuations
Meanwhile, U.S. stocks were closed yesterday for Easter. Bitcoin prices also showed no significant volatility, continuing to fluctuate slightly between $84,000 and $85,000, reporting at $84,503 before deadline, with a 24-hour decline of 0.3%.
Trump's tariff policies continue to cast a shadow, with deepening tensions with China yet to be reversed, and further announcing upcoming semiconductor tariffs, market uncertainty remains quite high.
Despite cryptocurrencies performing poorly in the first quarter (dropping 11.82%, creating the worst record since 2018), Bitwise Investment Director Matt Hougan recently stated in a market report that despite the disappointing first-quarter performance, he remains optimistic about the cryptocurrency market in the second quarter of 2025.
