US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that President Donald Trump is in no rush to tighten sanctions against Russia, as diplomatic efforts have not yet been exhausted.

Source: Rubio in an interview with NBC News, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The presenter asked Rubio whether Trump’s recent statements signal the possibility of new US sanctions against Russia.

The Secretary of State responded that it is "still not the time".

Quote: "The president is aware that he has these options – people ask him about it all the time – but what he really wants is a peace deal. He wants the dying and the killing to stop… There are options that we have for those who we hold responsible for not wanting the peace. But we’d prefer not to get to that stage yet, because we think it closes the door to diplomacy...

There is no other country, there is no other institution or organisation on the Earth that can bring these two sides together. No one else is talking to both sides but us. And no one else in the world can make something like this happen but the president [Trump – ed.]. This is a very significant responsibility and a really important opportunity, and we want to make sure we work it all the way through, that we don't walk away from something that can actually work and can actually lead to peace."

Background: 

• Rubio also stated that the coming week will be "critically important" for the US to decide whether to continue efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.
• On 26 April, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump briefly met in the Vatican, where dozens of world leaders had gathered to pay their final respects to Pope Francis.
• Zelenskyy stated that the meeting with Trump had the potential to become historic. The White House also described the meeting as very productive.
• On the same day, Trump criticised recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and expressed doubt that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin genuinely wants to end the war, also threatening him with sanctions.

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