U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media throughout a refueling cease at Shannon Airport in Shannon, Eire, March 12, 2025, as he travels from talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia to attending a G7 International Ministers assembly in Canada.
Saul Loeb | By way of Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned President Donald Trump hasn’t but imposed penalties on Russia over its ongoing struggle with Ukraine as a result of the White Home remains to be hoping diplomacy can finish the struggle.
“The minute you begin doing that type of stuff, you are strolling away from it,” Rubio mentioned Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’
Rubio mentioned that the approaching week might be “very crucial” for the White Home because it makes a “willpower about whether or not that is an endeavor that we need to proceed to be concerned in.”
“There are causes to be optimistic, however there are causes to be sensible,” Rubio mentioned, including: “We’re shut, however we’re not shut sufficient.”
“All through this course of, it is about figuring out, do either side really need peace and the way shut are they or how far aside they’re after 90 days of effort right here … that is what we’re making an attempt to find out this week,” Rubio mentioned of negotiations.
Rubio’s feedback come as Trump is ramping up stress on Russia and Ukraine to achieve a peace deal. Trump met Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, simply earlier than floating the opportunity of more durable sanctions in opposition to Moscow.
Rubio mentioned that Trump has “made actual progress” in nearing an finish to the struggle, however “these final couple steps of this journey have been all the time going to be the toughest ones, and it must occur quickly.”
“We can not proceed, as I mentioned, to dedicate time and sources to this effort if it is not going to come back to fruition,” he added.
Trump on Saturday questioned whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin desires to “cease the struggle” in opposition to Ukraine.
“It makes me assume that perhaps he does not need to cease the struggle, he is simply tapping me alongside, and needs to be handled otherwise, via “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many individuals are dying!!!” Trump wrote on Fact Social.
His publish got here simply after he had a non-public assembly with Zelenskyy in Rome, which the White Home described as a “productive dialogue.”
