US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reported that Washington made contact this week with high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation regarding the cessation of war, but no meaningful results were achieved.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Details of the Talks Between the US and Russia
According to Rubio, on Monday or Tuesday, the American side spoke not with Putin personally, but with representatives of his inner circle. The aim of the dialogue was to find pathways to peace; however, the parties did not make any progress on this issue. Rubio emphasized that the US continues to seek to initiate negotiations, but so far, no concessions have been observed from Russia.
“We continue to engage with the Russian side – earlier this week, on Monday or Tuesday. We also had a conversation with them – not with Putin, but with some of Putin’s top officials – in hopes of reaching some understanding on a way forward that would lead to peace, and we have not seen any progress on that front,” he said in an interview with Fox News Radio.
Possible Sanctions and Russia’s Reaction
The Secretary of State noted that the US President has several options to influence the situation, including considering the imposition of secondary sanctions that could significantly reduce Russia’s oil export revenues. However, according to Rubio, the optimal solution would be to cease hostilities and begin peace negotiations. He stressed that the Russian side is not demonstrating a genuine desire to achieve this goal.
On July 29, US President Donald Trump stated that Russia must make progress in ending the war against Ukraine within ten days, or the US will impose tariffs and other restrictive measures against Moscow. Prior to this, Trump expressed great disappointment with Putin’s actions.
The Kremlin stated that it took note of the American President’s words. At the same time, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, emphasized that the “special military operation” continues. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev described Trump’s statements as bringing him closer to war with Russia. Medvedev wrote on social media platform X that the new ultimatums are a direct threat and a step toward war not only with Ukraine but also with the United States.