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 stated President Donald Trump hasn’t but imposed penalties on Russia over its ongoing warfare with Ukraine as a result of the White Home continues to be hoping diplomacy can finish the warfare.
“The minute you begin doing that type of stuff, you are strolling away from it,” Rubio stated Sunday on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’
Rubio stated that the approaching week might be “very crucial” for the White Home because it makes a “dedication about whether or not that is an endeavor that we wish to proceed to be concerned in.”
“There are causes to be optimistic, however there are causes to be sensible,” Rubio stated, 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 stated of negotiations.
Rubio’s feedback come as Trump is ramping up strain on Russia and Ukraine to achieve a peace deal. Trump met Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, simply earlier than floating the opportunity of harder sanctions towards Moscow.
Rubio stated that Trump has “made actual progress” in nearing an finish to the warfare, however “these final couple steps of this journey had been all the time going to be the toughest ones, and it must occur quickly.”
“We can’t proceed, as I stated, to dedicate time and sources to this effort if it is not going to return to fruition,” he added.
Trump on Saturday questioned whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin needs to “cease the warfare” towards Ukraine.
“It makes me suppose that perhaps he would not wish to cease the warfare, he is simply tapping me alongside, and must be handled in a different way, by “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many individuals are dying!!!” Trump wrote on Fact Social.
His submit got here simply after he had a personal assembly with Zelenskyy in Rome, which the White Home described as a “productive dialogue.”