US secretary of state comments on situation with sanctions against Russia
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the administration in Washington has a clear understanding of which sanctions it could impose on Russia. However, he has noted that the final decision will be made directly by US President Donald Trump.
Source: Rubio in an interview with Fox News, the transcript of which was posted on Monday 15 September by the US Department of State, as reported by Ukrinform
Quote: "We fully understand the sanctions that we have available to us, and at some point the President may decide to do that."
Details: Rubio made this statement in response to a question about how much more time Trump is willing to give Putin before imposing the sanctions he has threatened.
Quote: "That’ll be his [Trump's] decision to make. He’s not going to go around and artificially announce a time frame."
Details: Meanwhile, Rubio noted that President Trump wants Europe to take the same step.
Quote: "There are still countries in Europe that are buying Russian products, including Russian oil. And what the President has challenged our European partners is to impose the sanctions themselves that they’re asking us to impose."
Details: Rubio also rejected claims that Putin was emboldened by the Alaska meeting, after which he escalated attacks on Ukraine and conducted drone strikes in Poland.
Background:
- On 13 September, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that he is prepared to impose serious sanctions on Russia, but only if all NATO countries follow suit and stop buying Russian oil.
- Trump had earlier warned that his patience with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is "running out".
- Trump accused Europeans of taking too soft a stance on Russia, saying that "they're talking and they're not doing". He stressed that further US sanctions will depend on whether Europe strengthens its own restrictive measures and stops buying Russian oil.
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