President Trump says America may soon walk away from efforts to negotiate a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if “fools” and “horrible people” make the prospect of an agreement difficult. 

During an event in the Oval Office on Friday, reporters asked Mr. Trump about Secretary of State Rubio’s comments that America may have to “move on” from attempts to broker a peace deal.

“If for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just gonna say you are foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people and we’re just gonna take a pass,” the president responded. “But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

Mr. Trump added that “every day a lot of people are being killed…as they play games.” He refused to say if he is willing to “walk away completely” from the peace effort.

However, the president added, “I think we have a good chance of solving the problem.”

When asked if he thought he was being “played” by Russia, Mr. Trump said, “No, nobody’s playing me. I’m trying to help.”

His comments come after Mr. Rubio told reporters at Paris, “We are now reaching a point where we need to decide whether this is even possible or not.”

“If it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” he said. “It’s not our war. We have other priorities to focus on.”

Mr. Rubio said a determination will be made in “a matter of days.”

Mr. Trump and his administration have been working for months to get both sides to agree to a ceasefire. In a heated Oval Office meeting in February, he told President Zelensky, “You’re either going to either make a deal, or we’re out. And if we’re out, you’ll fight it out, I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

He also accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III.”

In March, Mr. Zelensky said he accepted a 30-day ceasefire deal proposed by America. However, Russia has not agreed to the proposal and listed among its conditions an end of Western arms shipments to Ukraine, a move that Ukraine has rejected.