Trump's team explains why he is not imposing new sanctions on Russia
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (flickr.com)
US President Donald Trump believes that the Russian Federation may refuse to negotiate if new sanctions are imposed, states US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to CNN.
In his opinion, threats of additional sanctions against Russia could force Moscow to stop discussions about a possible end to the war with Ukraine.
Rubio said that President Donald Trump "believes that right now if you start threatening sanctions the Russians will stop talking, and there is value in us being able to talk to them and to drive them to get to the table."
However, he added that a time may come when new sanctions will be necessary, particularly if Russia shows no interest in a peace agreement, though he did not specify any timeframe.
He also stated that the Russian President Vladimir Putin "hasn’t gotten a single concession" from the Trump administration.
US sanctions against Russia
Recently, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the US and Europe will significantly tighten sanctions against Russia if Russian President Putin does not begin peace negotiations with Ukraine "in a spirit of goodwill."
Earlier, Trump also said that he would impose sanctions on Russia if negotiations with Ukraine do not succeed. He believes such sanctions would have a devastating impact on Russia.
Rubio himself also stated that Washington has given Moscow time to make progress in peace talks, but patience is running out — a decision on sanctions "is already on the way."
