Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday slammed Russia for its “lack of progress” in reaching a peace deal and affirmed that the Trump administration is weighing new sanctions on Russia amid the Kremlin’s escalating assault on Ukraine.
“Our strategy is to continue to engage all parties involved in finding an outcome to this conflict,” Rubio told reporters after meeting in Malaysia with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Politico. “We will engage any time that we have an opportunity to do so, like we did today. I echoed what the president said—both disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress.”
Rubio said that the Trump administration is working with Congress to draft legislation that could impose more sanctions on Russia, the New York Times reported.
The remarks come just two days after President Donald Trump blasted Russian president Vladimir Putin for spewing “bullshit” and reiterated that he was “very unhappy” with Putin after the two presidents’ phone call last week “didn’t make any progress.” Trump also said he was “very strongly” considering backing a sanctions bill, which would reportedly impose steep tariffs on countries importing Russian energy and on foreign firms aiding Russia’s energy sector, Politico reported.
In February, Trump extended sanctions imposed under former president Joe Biden, including restrictions on Russian banks, defense firms, and high-tech exports.
Russia has ramped up its assault on Ukraine in recent days. On Wednesday, Moscow launched a nearly 10-hour bombardment across Ukraine in what Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called a “clear escalation of terror by Russia.”
The Trump administration on Tuesday resumed U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine following a brief pause over concerns about dwindling stockpiles.
