Russia risks more sanctions if Ukraine peace talks fail — Rubio

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Russia of the consequences if a peace deal is not reached in Ukraine. According to him, President Donald Trump has not changed his position on sanctions.

Marco Rubio said it to ABC News.

Restrictions against Russia

Rubio was asked whether the leader of the United States had changed his mind about imposing sanctions after the Summit with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

"I don't think his mind has changed at all. I think ultimately, if this whole effort doesn't work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia," he answered.

According to him, a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia will require concessions from both sides. Rubio explained that the United States is trying to refrain from putting pressure on Moscow for now so as not to cause harm. They believe that as soon as restrictions are announced, the "talks" will stop.

"The problem is this: The minute you levy additional sanctions, strong additional sanctions, the talking stops. Talking stops. And at that point, the war just continues," Rubio noted.

The Secretary of State said that Trump has not lifted any restrictions against Russia. According to him, Moscow is facing the consequences of economic pressure.

"Now, we may end up being at a point where we have to do that, where there is no other recourse, and that's the end. So we may very well reach a point where everyone concludes, "no peace is going to happen here, we're going to have to do more sanctions," he said.

Peace agreement

Rubio stated that at this time, it is impossible to talk about a quick peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

"We have made progress in identifying potential areas for agreement, but some serious differences remain. So we still have a long way to go," the United States Secretary of State added.

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