Russia has pledged to send the U.S. “terms for what they would require in order to reach a ceasefire” with Ukraine following this week’s phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said,
Politico reports.
“It’s our understanding that the Russians are going to write up terms for what they would require in order to reach a ceasefire that then would allow broader negotiations,” Rubio told a Senate committee in a public hearing. “We await those terms and then we’ll have a much better understanding about Mr. Putin’s calculation once we see what those terms look like.”
His remarks were the latest sign that the U.S. is in no rush to change its posture toward Russia, even as many European officials and lawmakers believe that Putin is playing for time. It’s unclear how active a role the U.S. will play in future negotiations between the parties after Trump said Monday that Russia and Ukraine will directly negotiate the terms for an end to the war.
Trump’s two-hour-long phone call with Putin on Monday did not yield any breakthroughs on a ceasefire or talks to end the fighting, disappointing Washington’s European and Ukrainian allies who want to see the U.S. do more to ratchet up pressure on Putin.
Rubio, facing questions from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the U.S.’s approach to Russia, defended the president’s efforts so far. Others are pushing a more aggressive approach. The EU on Tuesday passed their own new measures against Russia, and Republicans in Congress have said they are awaiting a greenlight from the White House to pass bilateral sanctions on Moscow.
“He wants to preserve as long as he possibly can the opportunity to influence both sides towards peace,” Rubio said of Trump, adding “the minute you do certain things” you lose influence with one of the sides of the conflict — an implication that sanctioning Russia could jeopardize Washington’s ability to speak with Moscow and Kyiv.
