Rubio surprises NATO allies with shift on Russia sanctions

Four European diplomatic officials familiar with the meeting said that in a private conversation on Tuesday, Rubio hinted that the Senate would likely consider legislation to toughen sanctions against Russia after completing work on President Donald Trump's tax and budget bill.

The so-called "Big Beautiful Bill", which, according to the US Secretary of State, could be passed as early as this week.

Rubio, who faced criticism during the dinner over Trump's reluctance to take a tougher stance on Moscow, reportedly acknowledged to his European counterparts that Russia is a problem hindering peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.

However, just a few hours later, during an exclusive interview, Rubio laid out the administration's reasoning for holding off on further sanctions against Russia.

"If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire and then who's talking to them?" Rubio said.

He also added that Trump would supposedly know the right "time and place" to change tactics.

Why the discrepancy arose

Responding to questions about the discrepancy, a senior US official said that Rubio is emphasizing the same core points, but his interlocutors are focusing on different aspects.

"The secretary has been very consistent in meeting and calls with his counterparts on three key points — one is that the president believes strongly that the only way this war ends is through negotiations; second, as soon as the US imposes new sanctions on Russia the opportunity for the US to be involved in those negotiations closes; and third, that the Senate, in America anyway, is an independent body that at some point is going to move on those sanctions," the official said.

Tougher sanctions against Russia

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the European Union will introduce a new, 18th package of sanctions against Russia as early as tomorrow, June 26.

Meanwhile, the US position remains unclear. Back in early April, Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill proposing tough sanctions against Russia for refusing to commit to a long-term peace with Ukraine.

For the first time, the bill focused not so much on Russia itself, but on buyers of its main export — energy resources.

However, the White House has repeatedly delayed advancing and passing the bill. And in early June, as reported by the media, it became apparent that the Trump administration was dissatisfied with Graham's proposal. The senator was asked to significantly soften the bill.

Today, during the NATO summit in The Hague, President Trump explained why he cannot stop Russia's war against Ukraine.