US-Russia Talks on Ukraine Make No Progress, Sanctions Considered

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed ongoing efforts by President Donald Trump to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, noting that recent talks with Russian officials close to President Vladimir Putin have yielded no progress. Despite Trump's active attempts to achieve peace, including setting a firm deadline and threatening new sanctions on Russian oil and banking sectors, the Russian side has shown little willingness to compromise, resulting in continued attacks on Ukrainian cities. Rubio highlighted Trump's frustration with Russia's continued aggression despite cordial phone calls and emphasized that further economic pressure, including secondary sanctions targeting countries trading with Russia, remains a possibility. Rubio also addressed the declassification of documents related to the Trump-Russia 2016 election investigation, dismissing collusion allegations as a politically motivated hoax and reaffirming that his Senate Intelligence Committee found no evidence of coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia. He criticized Democrats for conflating Russian interference with claims of Trump collusion and supported the release of intelligence documents exposing what he described as a disinformation campaign against Trump. Overall, Rubio underscored the administration's focus on diplomacy while preparing for additional measures should Russia fail to engage sincerely in peace efforts.