US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday stated that Russia would be slammed with additional sanctions by Washington if Moscow fails to provide a formal proposal outlining its conditions for a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as reported by Anadolu Agency.
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said that such a delay from Russia would show Moscow’s real intent to negotiate on the matter.
“It’s our understanding that the Russians are going to write up terms for what they would require in order to reach a ceasefire that would allow broader negotiations,” Rubio told the Senate Committee as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
“We await those terms, and then I’ll have a much better understanding about Mr. Putin’s calculation once we see what those terms look like,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of new sanctions, Rubio said such measures are likely if Russia appears unwilling to pursue peace and continues the war effort. “If it is clear that the Russians are not interested in a peace deal and they just want to keep fighting a war, it may very well come to that point,” he noted, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
However, Rubio emphasised that US President Donald Trump prefers not to threaten sanctions at this stage, fearing it could derail the diplomatic process. “The president believes that right now, if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking,” Rubio said as quoted by Anadolu Agency.
Rubio added that Trump is “very committed” to ending the conflict and wants to maintain the ability to influence both parties toward a peaceful resolution for as long as possible. Earlier on Monday, US President Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” begin negotiations toward a ceasefire and a potential end to the ongoing war after his two-hour-long call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He disclosed that the Vatican, represented by newly elected Pope Leo XIV, has expressed interest in hosting the negotiations. This proposal aligns with the Pope’s offer on May 16 to facilitate peace talks after the recent failure of ceasefire talks in Istanbul, despite the agreement to exchange prisoners between the two nations.
