Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he echoed Trump’s growing frustration with the lack of progress in Ukraine–Russia peace talks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a surprise meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on July 10 and conveyed President Donald Trump’s growing frustration with the lack of progress in negotiations to end the Russia–Ukraine war.
Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, Rubio described his Thursday meeting with Lavrov as a “frank conversation.”
“I echoed what the president has said, of both a disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress in peace talks or in a path forward,” Rubio said.
On July 3, Trump told reporters that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine conflict, but “didn’t make any progress with him.” In another comment this week, Trump accused Putin of conveying empty rhetoric in peace talks.
“We get a lot of [expletive] thrown at us by Putin, [if] you want to know the truth,” Trump said at a July 8 Cabinet meeting. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
In the days since Trump and Putin spoke, Trump has announced that the United States would ship more weapons to Ukraine.
This week, Trump has also signaled he’s open to supporting legislation in Congress that would authorize new sanctions targeting Russia. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has said the Senate could bring floor action for the new sanctions legislation this work period.
For the time being, Trump hasn’t publicly endorsed the new sanctions legislation, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Despite ramping up support for Ukraine and entertaining growing talk of new sanctions on Russia, Rubio said the Trump administration still wishes to pursue diplomacy between all parties in the conflict.
“We shared some ideas and comments which I’ll take back to Washington as early as this evening in terms of calls,” Rubio said. “Perhaps there’s something to build on there.”
Rubio said the Russian side had begun to articulate some new ideas for a way to resolve the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as something that guarantees a peace, but it’s a concept that, you know, we’ll take back to the president today,” he said.
The secretary of state did not share specifics about the new approach the Russian side had articulated during the Thursday meeting.
By Ryan Morgan
