US bows out of mediator role in Russia-Ukraine talks
Photo: Russia's army will continue to lose at least 1,000 people a day (US Department of State)
The United States will no longer play the role of mediator in negotiations with Russia and Ukraine. The two sides will have to agree on their own, said US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
"We certainly are still committed to it and will help and do what we can. But we are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat to mediate meetings, that it is now between the two parties," she said.
According to her, other regions in the world require attention. "And the Secretary’s also made it very clear that while our style will change, the methodology of how we contribute to this will change in that we will not be the mediators," she added.
Sanctions against Russia
Asked whether the US is ready to impose secondary sanctions on Russian oil buyers, similar to those against Iran, the State Department spokesperson said that US President Donald Trump has reiterated his willingness to act in this direction.
"Clearly, we’re not removing any sanctions that currently exist. The President wants in every action that we’ve taken as a nation to do it diplomatically; that he – clearly, because of the commitment to it," she said.
US politics
Bruce said that the idea of the previous US administration was that Russia was not to be talked to for at least three years.
Trump and Rubio's approach is that "people have to be spoken with – face to face, one on one."
"I’m not going to guess at the nature of what President Trump and Putin might discuss. I do know that President Trump is doing it for a reason, and that is to accomplish an end to bloodshed and massacres," she added.
