Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the US was looking for Russian President Vladimir Putin to move forward with negotiations on talks with Ukraine more quickly.
Speaking to reporters at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, he said, “What we’re not interested in – and I’m not accusing them of this; I’m just telling you – what we’re not interested in is negotiations about negotiations, that we’re not going to continue this forever.” He continued, “I think it was more an explanation of: This is our timeline, and at some point it will be clear whether you want peace or you don’t want peace. And that time is coming; it’s pretty short.”
While Rubio said the US position wasn’t “threatening,” he went on to say that Congress could add new sanctions on Russia if Moscow is perceived not to be advancing towards talks with Kiev quickly enough.
“Members of Congress have begun to file bills to increase sanctions.” He added, “ So, there is going to be growing pressure from Capitol Hill to impose sanctions that we’re not going to be able to stop if, in fact, we’re not making progress towards peace.”
The top diplomat said the message has been made clear to Moscow “that we need to begin to see real progress, or we’ll have to conclude that they’re not interested in peace.”
Rubio said that message was relayed through Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund, the Russian government’s sovereign wealth fund, who was in the US for talks with President Donald Trump’s Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff this week.
While Rubio said Washington would know within “weeks, not months” if Moscow wanted to make a deal, Reuters reported on Thursday that the Trump administration “will be unable to secure a Ukraine peace deal in the next few months and are drawing up new plans to pressure both Kiev and Moscow.”
The Kremlin also says the two sides are far apart on reaching a deal. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday that Russia couldn’t accept US proposals on ending the Ukraine war.
US officials noted that President Trump has increasingly faulted with Russian President Putin for delaying talks after initially placing blame on Ukrainian President Zelensky. On Sunday, Trump said he was “pissed off” at Putin and threatened to place “secondary tariffs” on Russia.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
This is just typical negotiation rhetoric. Russia is in the driver's seat.
It certainly is. The Russian Federation has standing; they are a participant, not a minority shareholder like the US that cannot demonstrate clear or consistent control over what Ukraine and its green-pants dictator do or don't-do.
I don't think Russia is going to agree to a real ceasefire unless its war aims have been met. Russia went to war for very specific reasons. They have endlessly repeated them. They amount to maybe four or five different things (Ukie neutrality, Ukie demilitirization, Ukie denazifaction, and de jure territorial adjustments). Why would Russia just stop fighting, if it is not going to get any, never mind all, of those things? Trump wants a deal. For his own sake. So he can say that he is the Bigliest Dealmaker of All Time. So that he can say he ended "Mr. Biden's War." And so that he can finally get that Nobel Peace Prize like his enemy Obama did. So weird too, in the US practically demanding peace, when it ginned up the conflict in the first place, and is still the biggest supporter of Russia's enemy. That puts Trump in a bind. He has to get that peace without the Ukraine collapsing, or even merely "losing," and thereby exposing Trump to charges of a stab in the back, Chamberlain-like appeasement at Munich, etc. In short, Trump wants it all his own way. Russia should just stop, now, cuz Trump says so, without gaining anything. Why should or would Russia give that to him?
"…four or five different things…"
Add to that "an end to all that racist s**t against ethnic Russian Ukrainians in your eastern territories" which had generated outcry in the Russian Federation at the outset.
Obama winning the Nobel was a travesty. Trump winning would be an even bigger travesty. One word. Gaza.
Could be Donald's motivation is not "glory" but fear of disgrace. The state of the USM is analogous to the state of the US economy; and, both are massively hemorrhaging. There's panic and desperation behind these adolescent threats.
I'm sorry to say that you were absolutely right about Trump in regard to the Palestinians and I was way too optimistic. What a tragedy for the Palestinians and what a disgrace Trump has turned out to be. So glad I can say that I never voted for him.
I’m sorry too! I wish you had been right.
But kudos to you. Don’t often see this on the internet.
"…that we’re not going to continue this forever."
Hey, Marco Jack Rubio, the world's just amazed that America's even interested in peace in Ukraine in the first place !
Spoiler alert: They’re not (interested in peace).
They want to move on to the next war.
Peace in Afghanistan…
To enable war in Ukraine. etc.
Peace in Ukraine to enable war with China.
… more like defeat in Afghanistan and Ukraine to enable war with China…!
Well, the Chinese aren’t going defeat US all by themselves… America must pitch in!
They can economically…!
My point exactly. They couldn’t have if we didn’t gift them our industrial base.
What did Lenin say about capitalists and rope?
China didn’t get the US “industrial base.” That “industrial base” manufactures more stuff now than at any time in history.
Not seeing it where I shop.
The “I'm pissed off with Putin” comment means Trump finally woke up to realizing he couldn't get a deal as he originally planned it would be—himself as heroic, the savior, Nobel Peace Prize coming right up. So he and his sidekicks, as with Sanctimonious Rubio, move into Stage 2 of their Negotiating Handbook: Threats And Bluster. All of this was predictable. Chatty chatty with Putin was exaggerated as brilliant Trump at “Peacemaker” until he realized he had a pair of deuces against four aces, with surrender the only possibility. You can't get half a deal with reality. Next step name-call and shift blame, with plenty of “It's not our fault!” dished out by armchair generals on CNN while moving toward more violence. Most important here it all shows the monstrous depths of delusion of Trump and Co. and the pathetic excuse-making tactics they use to cover their asses.
All 100% true, but it still seems to be working for them and Israel. Too many countries and people are caving to the threats. Thank heaven Putin did not fall for it, many were afraid that he would, like so many others.
The peace president already squandered his title by throwing bombs at Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Gaza via Israel. MAGA calls it "peace through strength".
This is interesting. Neocon influences in the Trump orbit are pushing the Russia stalling story instead of recognizing the key RF demand is to get at root causes of the conflict. This suggests Trump is again dominated by those he has surrounded himself with.
https://www.moonofalabama.org
Russia: Time Has Come And Gone For US To Quit Portraying A Minks-3 Ceasefire In Place Of A Comprehensive Peace Treaty
Ukraine violated the ceasefire many times but Rubio puts the ball in the Russian side? It seems to me that the one who doesn't want peace is the USA: they were just posturing!
There’s not been any ceasefire for either side to violate.
There was a partial or limited ceasefire agreement on attacks on a particular list of Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure for a 30 day period from march 18, fiercely opposed by the Baltic states. Part of that agreement was also to be about attacks in the Black Sea and the use of commercial vessels for military supplies, the conditions of the agreement which were succesfully undermined by the EU.
Russia: Time Has Come And Gone For US To Quit Portraying The Minks-3 Ceasefire In Place Of A Comprehensive Peace Treaty
Intel Roundtable with Judge Napolitano, Larry Johnson, and Ray McGovern.
Zionist Mafia, Mossad, Mossad, Mossad, RFK and JFK assassinations, Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderberg Commission, James Jesus Angleton, Lee Harvey Oswald. They weren't all mentioned throughout the interview, but they provoked a stream of consciousness.
Many Americans are aware that a Mossad agent is on every US federal legislator's staff except Rep. Thomas Massie. Does Israel's modus operandi occur in Canada and Europe? What about Mossad controlling America's foreign policy through the CIA? Some may determine that to be a rhetorical question. As for Russia and South American nations, I've no idea.
Yemen and Iran are conspicuous exceptions.
Rubio the perfect puppet.
All Trump WH people are puppets… but he and the barbie doll stand out…!
Meanwhile, Trump is pulling the entire US economy down onto itself, almost single-handedly. And Marco Rubio wants to threaten other countries with economic sanctions?
Trump has lofty goals. Reindustrializing. Expanding territory, revive ship building. Hit Madagascar with tariffs. They export vanilla Beans. Such abusers.
Tbis in unhelpful. Since US cannot or does not want to control Ukrainian proxy — no results can be expected. Zelenski has no problem inshlting Trump — as tbis mineral deal demonstrate. UK government site on UK Ukraine 100 year pact that Ukraine sold all its assets to UK. Ports, energy infrastructure, etc — so Zelensky is laughing his head off as he makes fun of Trump, even more because Trump and his deluded entourage do not seem to understand it.
So, since Zelenski did not want to adhere even to baby steps like stklung attacks on incrastructure. None. Grain deal ? Mini Bibi days no! Trump is powerless and politically the only way out for Donald Trump is to blame Russia. He has to forego the commercial hopes from getting commerce restarted with Russia. But his lolitical zurvival is now linked to having to put up with being a laughing stock in Ukraine. Being mad witb Russia is. changing nothing. It is just. back to Biden era. All that is needed now is sending more weapons. The net result is — only Russi can end the conflict militarily.
Rubio is just business as usual for the USA, making demands and pushing sanctions based on fiction! Russia has always wanted peace, It is the USA that foments and supports wars.
Trump and the U.S. just don't get that they aren't in the driver's seat when it comes to dictating the terms of surrender for Ukraine. Russia won, the U.S. lost. They also need to understand that you don't run the world any longer, the world is moving away from the U.S. and it's a self-inflicted wound that will isolate the U.S. going forward. However, empires don't go quietly into the night, and war is usually the answer for the declining empire as they are desperate to hang on to their privileged position. Therefore, expect more war.
Wars or destruction of civilian infrastructure, and destruction of civilians being the most ecfective erradication of culture and its historic memory. War in Yemen zeems to be heading in that direction.
More like Losing Wars…!
https://www.rt.com/russia/615275-man-die-forceful-mobilization-ukraine/
A Ukrainian man has allegedly died following an encounter with recruitment officers, who tried to take him to a draft office as part of “forceful mobilization,” http://Strana.ua has reported. The outlet also published a disturbing video said to be taken at the scene.
The incident reportedly took place in the town of Sukhoy Liman in Ukraine’s southern Odessa Region. The clip published by http://Strana.ua and a local Odessa Info Telegram channel on Friday starts with a man sitting on the ground and not moving.
A group of men wearing military fatigues can be seen standing nearby. Civilians in the video refer to them as recruitment officers. Some people accuse them of beating the would-be recruit before he fell unconscious – something that draft officers deny. The onlookers also claim that one of the officers was seen beating an elderly woman in the area.
The would-be recruit is then seen falling to the ground. The man shows no signs of life as he is lying unresponsive with his eyes wide open. “It’s over, he is dead,” people in the crowd can be heard saying, with some of them accusing the officers of “beating him to death.” One of the draft officers then tries to revive the man with a heart massage to no effect.
Ukrainian recruitment officers gas conscripts – media
Read more Ukrainian recruitment officers gas conscripts – media
The regional draft office has denied any wrongdoing on the part of its staff and said that the incident was “simulated.” The man in the video was detained for a violation of military registration rules, it stated on Facebook. The man first “acted aggressively” towards the officers and then simulated “loss of consciousness,” the office said, and asserted without showing evidence that the man’s health condition is “satisfactory.”
According to http://Strana.ua , the Ukrainian authorities have provided no other comments on the incident or the fate of the man on the video.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Ukraine declared a general mobilization. Kiev later lowered the mobilization age to 25 and toughened penalties for draft evasion last year amid widespread draft dodging and desertion.
Ukrainian recruitment officers have also been employing increasingly harsh tactics to replenish the army’s ranks. Numerous videos have emerged on social media over the past few months showing Ukrainian conscription officers grabbing men on the streets, beating them, and driving them away in minibuses to recruitment centers. There have been reports of injuries and deaths among conscripts who resisted attempts to be mobilized.
I don't think Trump's choice for The Apprentice is going to work out.
I don't think Trump's choice for The Apprentice is going to work out.
Russia has agreed to four peace deals with Ukraine since 2015 and each time Ukraine ignored them and kept fighting. Rubio doesn't even want to discuss a peace deal, he wants Russia to stop winning and advancing so the Ukrainian army can recover with new American arms shipments.
Fool me once shame on me… Fool me twice shame on you…!
He's also arrogant and ignorant, ignoring stipulations needed to get peace negotiations underway.
Rubio:
". . . it will be clear whether you want peace or you don’t want peace. And that time is coming; it’s pretty short.”
What's short is Rubio's grasp of reality.
What should have bern a dead giveaway sn easy test. Russia’s agreement on not targetting infrastructure was a concrete baby-steps easily implementable agreementYet it was violated by Ukraine the very next day. Instead of dealing with the situation Trump just gave the warmongering media several news cycles to claim that Russia violated it too.
Trump’s team are not up to this task.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/russia-and-the-us-made-three-steps-forward-after-two-days-of-consultations-in-washington/
"In 2010, the World Economic Forum selected Dmitriev to be a Young Global Leader, and he was elected as a Vice President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP).[19][20]
It came to light after the initial meeting in February 2025 of the Ukrainian ceasefire talks between the Trump administration and the Russian side that Sergey Lavrov clashed visibly with Dmitriev, who had not been accredited through him by Putin, and Lavrov denied him a chair at the table.[59][60]
In early April 2025, Dmitriev took part in the negotiation process concerning the war in Ukraine and economic relations between the US and Russia, meeting with American envoy Steve Witkoff several times.[61]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirill_Dmitriev
President Trump needs to cut off all aid and communications with Zelensky and Ukraine. Otherwise, it will become President Trump's war.
The US mainstream media won't portray it that way…!
A good start, but it must be followed by recognition that the process is not under his control, and I worry about this, because Trump doesn't follow directions, nor does he ever appear to learn.
The only way a peace in this conflict can ever occur is if Trump follows the Russian instructions re order exactly, and given the grotesque swollen state of self-importance of American "leadership"acquired over decades, it is my opinion that there will be no peace agreement of any consequence, because Trump will follow his own flawed instincts to the bitter end.
Sounds about right.
Or else?
Here's an idea: shut off the weapons deliveries and intelligence to Ukraine immediately, then leave.
The US knows it has been deeply involved in the Ukraine war. No troops but weapons, intelligence, military planning, even trying to call the battle shots. Russia knows this as well. So in essence the US has lost the war as much as Ukraine has (just not publicly so). Therefore the whole thing is a charade. "If you don’t stop fighting, we will keep fighting you and losing!"
Russia doesn't care because the U.S. is running out of weapons to send to Ukraine. Will Ukraine still fight when they have NO artillery shells? Z may want to in order to hang onto power but eventually his underlings will revolt.
Rubio and the west aren't interested in peace, they want a strategic victory against Russia but lack the power or leverage to get one. The west LOST this one and the faster they accept the fact, the faster a lasting peace accord can be made.