US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington has practically reached the limit in imposing new sanctions against Russia, noting that restrictions have been placed on the country's largest oil companies and that the next steps are likely to focus on ensuring compliance with existing sanctions rather than introducing new ones.

Source: Rubio speaking to journalists after the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada

Details: When asked about increasing sanctions pressure on Moscow, Rubio said that "there's not a lot left to sanction from our part".

"We hit their major oil companies, which is what everybody's been asking for," he noted.

The secretary of state also touched upon the issue of the so-called shadow fleet that Russia uses to bypass oil restrictions. He described the fight against it as "an enforcement mechanism" rather than a reason for introducing new sanctions. Rubio expressed the view that European partners should play a more active role in this process, as a significant number of the vessels operate closer to their territories.

When asked whether Russia truly seeks peace, Rubio replied that such things can only be judged by actions. In his opinion, Moscow has "stated clearly what they want is they want the rest of Donetsk, and, obviously, the Ukrainians aren't going to agree to that".

Rubio also commented on the intense missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, which he said are aimed at destroying the power grid and demoralising the population.

In the context of supporting Ukraine, the secretary of state confirmed that the United States is holding ongoing talks with the Ukrainian side to help stabilise the energy network. He stressed that Ukraine's energy system is deteriorating year by year.

According to Rubio, discussions are underway on providing both specialised equipment and defensive weapons to protect energy facilities. However, the key problem remains the high risk that the equipment could be destroyed shortly after installation.

"If that equipment is ultimately destroyed a week later after it's installed, that remains a problem. And that's been the history of the last two or three years," Rubio concluded.

Background: On Wednesday 12 November, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke with Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 ministerial meeting in Canada. Sybiha thanked Rubio for the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump and the very effective energy sanctions against Russia.

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