Whether Russia is “serious” about achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine should become apparent in a “matter of weeks,” Secretary of State Macro Rubio told reporters Friday.

“The Russians know our position in terms of wanting to end the war, and we will know from their answers very soon whether they are serious about proceeding with real peace or whether it is a delay tactic,” Rubio said at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 

Questions are mounting over Moscow’s true interest in engaging with the Trump administration after it rejected a 30-day ceasefire proposed by Ukraine in early March, then refused to agree to a Black Sea ceasefire later that month unless sanctions were lifted.

TOP RUSSIAN NEGOTIATOR SHARES STATUS ON UKRAINE PEACE TALKS AFTER MEETING WITH US COUNTERPART IN DC

“[If] It’s a delay tactic, the president’s not interested in that,” he added. “President Trump is not going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations about negotiations.”

When pressed by reporters, Rubio wouldn’t comment on what conditions Russia has set out in securing a peace deal. 

He did note, though, hat even after direct calls with foreign leaders, official readouts don’t always reflect what was actually discussed. That appeared to be the case after President Donald Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, when the White House said Russia had “agreed” to eliminate the use of force in the Black Sea.

But the Kremlin later clarified that any agreement was contingent on the West lifting sanctions.

PUTIN CONSCRIPTS 160K MEN AS RUSSIA EYES UKRAINE OFFENSIVE

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the first day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. (Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

“I guess it’s part of the game,” Rubio said. “At the end of the day, what’s going to matter here is whether we’re going to move towards peace or not.”

Rubio reiterated that Ukraine and Russia would both need to make concessions to end the war but declined to say what those should be, insisting those details should emerge through negotiations.

“Initially, it was important to talk [to the Russians] because we haven’t talked to them in a long time. But now we’ve reached the stage [where] we need to make progress,” he said, noting it will be “hard,” but he remains “optimistic.”

“There are some promising signs. There are some troubling signs. It’s not going to be easy. No one ever said this would be easy, but we’re going to find out sooner rather than later,” Rubio told reporters. “And let’s just say I’m hopeful. I remain hopeful.”

The United States Department of Defense has confirmed it fired the head of the National Security Agency, in a move that sparked outrage over an alleged purge of security officials.

On Friday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell released a short statement, acknowledging the departure of four-star Air Force General Timothy Haugh as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), one of the government’s top intelligence-gathering bodies.

Haugh also led the US Cyber Command, which prepares for and defends against attacks in the digital sphere.

“The Defense Department thanks General Timothy Haugh for his decades of service to our nation, culminating as US Cyber Command commander and National Security Agency director. We wish him and his family well,” Parnell said.

Multiple media reports, however, suggested that Haugh’s ouster came at the suggestion of a far-right internet activist, Laura Loomer, who supported President Donald Trump’s campaign for re-election in 2024.

Democrats also seized upon the fact that Trump did not fire anyone involved in the recent controversy over the use of the messaging app Signal to discuss sensitive plans to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen – something that came to light after a journalist was accidentally added to the chat.

“Gen. Haugh led the NSA and Cyber Command with steady, effective leadership,” Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona wrote on social media Friday.

“By dismissing him and failing to hold anyone accountable for the threat to U.S. pilots over Signal, Trump has shown he values loyalty over competence – making us all less safe.”

Another Democratic senator, Mark Warner of Virginia, echoed that sentiment, calling the situation “so crazy it defies belief”.

“Trump refused to fire the people that embarrassed America and risked servicemembers’ lives in the Signalgate scandal,” Warner wrote, “but fired Gen. Haugh, a nonpartisan national security expert, at the advice of a self-described ‘pro-white nationalist’.”

Haugh was just one in a slate of firings this week that came after Trump met with Loomer at the White House.

Media reports indicate Haugh’s civilian deputy at the NSA, Wendy Noble, was booted from her position as well and reassigned.

In addition, multiple members of the National Security Council also appear to have been removed from their positions, including Brian Walsh, a senior director of intelligence, and Thomas Boodry, the senior director of legislative affairs.

The Reuters news agency estimated that more than a dozen security officials were dismissed as part of the alleged purge.

As he flew to South Florida for a golf tournament on Thursday, Trump addressed the rumours, acknowledging “some” people were fired but refusing to give specifics about the total.

“Always, we’re going to let go of people – people we don’t like or people that we don’t think can do the job or people who may have loyalties to someone else,” Trump said from Air Force One.

He also addressed his meeting with Loomer earlier in the week, offering high praise for the internet personality.

“Laura Loomer is a very good patriot,” he said. “She’s a very strong person, and I saw her yesterday for a little while. She makes recommendations.”

When pressed about what that meant, he conceded that Loomer not only recommends individuals to hire – but also to fire. He did, however, dismiss reports that Loomer was involved in a purge of security officials.

Loomer herself addressed Haugh’s removal on Thursday, accusing the four-star general of insufficient loyalty to the Trump administration. She also attempted to paint Haugh as an acolyte of former President Joe Biden, the Democrat who bested Trump in the 2020 election.

“NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired,” she wrote.

“Their firings are a blessing for the American people. Thank you President Trump for being receptive to the vetting materials provided to you and thank you for firing these Biden holdovers.”

Loomer has long been a controversial figure on the US right. She once called herself a “proud Islamophobe” and has spread the debunked conspiracy theory that the attacks on September 11, 2001, were an “inside job”.

Her proximity to the president has caused ripples of concern within Trump’s administration – and has been seized upon as a point of criticism for Democrats.

The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, demanded an “immediate explanation” for Haugh’s firing, arguing it makes “all of us less safe”.

“I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first,” Himes wrote. “I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Two days after sending the global economy reeling by announcing tariffs on foreign imports, President Donald Trump insisted his trade policies will “NEVER CHANGE” as he remained ensconced in a bubble of wealth and power in Florida.

He woke up on Friday morning at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, and headed to his nearby golf course a few miles away after writing on social media, in all-capital letters, that “this is a great time to get rich.”

Several supporters stood across the street as Trump, wearing his signature red campaign hat and white polo shirt, glided down a street lined with palm trees. They waved to him and he waved back, part of a ritual that plays out every weekend that he’s in town.

The Republican president was not expected to appear publicly, although he’s scheduled to attend a candlelit dinner for MAGA Inc., an allied political organization, on Friday evening. He also spent Thursday in Miami at a different one of his golf courses, where he attended a Saudi-funded tournament. He landed in Marine One and was picked up in a golf cart driven by his son, Eric.

Trump has often proved impervious to the kind of scandals or gaffes that would damage another politician, but his decision to spend the weekend at his gilded properties could test Americans’ patience at a time when their retirement savings are evaporating along with the stock market. The tariffs are expected to increase prices by thousands of dollars per year and slow economic growth, and there are fears about a potential recession.

However, Trump has described his policies as a painful yet necessary step to encourage companies to relocate their operations to the United States, and he spent the morning defending himself on Truth Social, his social media platform, vowing he is sticking with his policies.

Although experts have harshly criticized Trump’s tariffs, he’s found support on TikTok. He shared a video that said “Trump is crashing the stock market” and “he’s doing it on purpose” as part of “secret game he’s playing, and it could make you rich.”

The goal, the video said, is to push the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, something that Trump explicitly called for later in the morning.

“This would be a PERFECT time” for Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, he wrote. “CUT INTEREST RATES, JEROME, AND STOP PLAYING POLITICS!”

With foreign leaders scrambling in response to Trump’s announcement this week, the president lashed out and looked to cut deals.

He said he spoke with Vietnamese leader To Lam and claimed Vietnam wants to eliminate its tariffs on U.S. goods if it can make a deal with the U.S.

He also criticized China for announcing its own tariffs on U.S. imports.

“CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” he wrote.

Trump also celebrated a new report showing the U.S. added 228,000 jobs in March, beating expectations. Although the numbers were a snapshot of the economy before the tariff announcement, Trump claimed vindication, saying they already show his moves are working. “HANG TOUGH,” he wrote. “WE CAN’T LOSE!!!”

___ Megerian reported from Washington.