The United States and Russia held new high-level talks earlier this week geared toward ending the struggle in Ukraine, however no progress was made, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned on Wednesday.
“There’s been no real movement,” Rubio acknowledged. “The president [Donald Trump] is frustrated. He gets on these calls, everyone says they want peace, and then the next morning another Ukrainian city is hit.”
The talks got here forward of Trump’s August 8 deadline for a peace deal. Since that deadline was introduced, Russian forces have stepped up assaults throughout Ukraine. The newest assault on Kyiv, in a single day on July 31, left not less than 15 individuals useless and 135 wounded.
President Trump has threatened to impose steep new tariffs and sanctions if Russia fails to halt its invasion by the deadline. He warned that nations persevering with commerce with Moscow—notably power patrons like India and China—may face financial penalties.
“Ten days from now, if there’s no change, we’ll hit them with tariffs and more,” Trump mentioned earlier this week.
Rubio echoed the president’s hopes for diplomacy however mentioned the administration is making ready for escalation if talks collapse. Options into consideration embrace secondary sanctions on Russian oil and tighter banking restrictions.
“The best outcome would be for the violence to stop and negotiations to begin,” Rubio mentioned. “But so far, we don’t see genuine interest from Russia in pursuing that path.”
Rubio additionally dismissed current threats by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who accused the U.S. of driving the world towards a bigger battle.
“He doesn’t matter,” Rubio mentioned. “Medvedev isn’t calling the shots in Russia. He says provocative things, but that’s not what moves the needle.”
When requested concerning the potential for a direct U.S.-Russia navy confrontation, Rubio known as it “unthinkable,” citing each nations’ nuclear arsenals and the chance of catastrophic miscalculation.
“Russia couldn’t take on the United States—or even many European countries,” he added. “They’ve struggled against Ukraine, and that speaks volumes.”
