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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Donald Trump is growing increasingly impatient and unwilling to continue waiting for steps from Russia that would lead to an end to the war in Ukraine.
He made the comments during an appearance on Fox News.
Rubio referred to Trump’s phone calls with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, which, he said, yielded no results.
“He’s losing patience, and he’s losing the will to keep waiting for the Russian side to act to end this war. It’s not his war, but he wants to bring it to an end,” the Secretary of State said.
According to Rubio, Russia is simply stalling for time.
“He (Trump) won’t let himself be lured into that trap. He’s not going to engage in endless talks about talks,” he added.
Earlier, it was reported that Trump is considering imposing secondary sanctions on Russia even before the 50-day deadline he previously announced.
Following Trump’s ultimatum to Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba stated that the U.S. president shouldn’t wait 50 days to impose secondary sanctions. Meanwhile, Lithuania urged Washington to deliver a crushing sanctions blow to Russia and its backers, especially after the EU finally approved its long-delayed 18th package of sanctions against Moscow.
However, media later reported that Trump’s threat to punish Russia if a ceasefire with Ukraine isn’t reached within 50 days had effectively stalled a bipartisan Senate initiative that would introduce strict new sanctions on countries doing business with Moscow.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt commented that Trump is in contact with the Senate on the issue of sanctions against Russia but insists on making the final decisions himself.
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