Imposing further sanctions on Russia could lead to two more years of war between Moscow and Kyiv, Marco Rubio has said.
Speaking to NBC, the secretary of state said negotiating a peace deal between the two countries was “complicated,” after President Donald Trump suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin was perhaps not open to a peace deal.
Why It Matters
One of Trump’s pledges during the presidential campaign was to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, but having failed to do so, the administration has become frustrated with the process and has suggested abandoning negotiations
On Saturday, Trump questioned whether Putin wanted a peace deal after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican before Pope Francis’ funeral and questioned whether to impose new sanctions on the country.
On his social media platform Truth Social, he said Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities on Thursday “makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
Twelve people died in Kyiv on Thursday after the largest wave of Russian missile strikes since July 2024.
What To Know
Speaking to NBC News’ Meet the Press, Rubio questioned the efficacy of further sanctions when asked why Trump hadn’t imposed more.
He said the administration was “hoping to see” if diplomacy would work to bring the two sides together.
“The minute you start doing that kind of stuff, you’re walking away from it, you’ve now doomed yourself to another two years of war and we don’t want to see it happen.”
He added: “There is no other country, there is no other institution or organization on the Earth that can bring these two sides together, no one else is talking to both sides but us and no one else in the world can make something like this happen but the president.”
He added that the administration doesn’t want to walk away from a situation that could lead to peace and equally doesn’t “want to continue to spend time on something that’s not going to get us there.”
“There’s reasons to be optimistic, and there are also reasons to be concerned,” he continued about the prospect of a peace deal. “It’s complicated and if this was an easy war to end it would have been ended by someone else a long time ago,” he said.
On Saturday, he told reporters that the U.S. could walk away from talks if things did not progress toward a deal soon.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump for the “good meeting” in a post on social media.
He added: “We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.”
What Happens Next
Whether Russia and Ukraine reach a deal in the next days and weeks remains unclear.
Meanwhile, leaders from the 32-nation NATO alliance are scheduled to convene in the Netherlands in June, amid continued pressure from Trump for member states to substantially increase their defense spending.
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