US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that new sanctions may be imposed on Russia if a peace deal regarding Ukraine is not reached ahead of a critical White House meeting, reports 24brussels.
During an interview with NBC on Sunday, Rubio stated that failure to reach an agreement would result in consequences, emphasizing that ongoing conflict would lead to sustained sanctions as well as potentially new measures against Moscow. “If we’re not going to be able to reach an agreement here at any point, then there are going to be consequences,” he asserted.
In contrast, US President Donald Trump recently declared progress in negotiations with Russia following his meeting with President Putin in Alaska. Trump conveyed his optimism through a post on his Truth Social platform, saying, “BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” although he did not provide specifics.
‘The Russians made some concessions’
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff claimed that Trump and Putin reached agreements on “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine during their summit. Witkoff noted that Russia had made unspecified concessions related to five regions central to the ongoing conflict, particularly in the Donetsk province.
“We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,” Witkoff stated, highlighting discussions about the future of Donetsk, which he said would be elaborated on in a forthcoming meeting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded positively to Trump’s willingness to engage with Europe and offer NATO-like assurances during a press conference in Brussels. However, he emphasized that clarifications are still needed regarding the roles of each party in these security guarantees.
(sm, bms)
