Rubio: US, Russia hold talks on Ukraine war, but no progress made
The United States and Russia held new high-level talks earlier this week aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, but no progress was made, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
Rubio confirmed that discussions took place on Monday or Tuesday and involved senior Russian officials, though President Vladimir Putin did not participate directly, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
“There’s been no real movement,” Rubio stated. “The president [Donald Trump] is frustrated. He gets on these calls, everyone says they want peace, and then the next morning another Ukrainian city is hit.”
The talks came ahead of Trump’s August 8 deadline for a peace deal. Since that deadline was announced, Russian forces have stepped up attacks across Ukraine. The latest assault on Kyiv, overnight on July 31, left at least 15 people dead and 135 wounded.
President Trump has threatened to impose steep new tariffs and sanctions if Russia fails to halt its invasion by the deadline. He warned that countries continuing trade with Moscow—particularly energy buyers like India and China—may also face economic penalties.
“Ten days from now, if there’s no change, we’ll hit them with tariffs and more,” Trump said earlier this week.
Rubio echoed the president’s hopes for diplomacy but said the administration is preparing for escalation if talks collapse. Options under consideration include secondary sanctions on Russian oil and tighter banking restrictions.
“The best outcome would be for the violence to stop and negotiations to begin,” Rubio said. “But so far, we don’t see genuine interest from Russia in pursuing that path.”
Rubio also brushed off recent threats by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who accused the U.S. of driving the world toward a larger conflict.
“He doesn’t matter,” Rubio said. “Medvedev isn’t calling the shots in Russia. He says provocative things, but that’s not what moves the needle.”
When asked about the potential for a direct U.S.-Russia military confrontation, Rubio called it “unthinkable,” citing both nations’ nuclear arsenals and the risk of catastrophic miscalculation.
“Russia couldn’t take on the United States—or even many European countries,” he added. “They’ve struggled against Ukraine, and that speaks volumes.”
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