“U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had practically reached its limit in imposing new sanctions against Russia, noting that restrictions had already been imposed on the largest oil companies and that the next steps would be more about enforcing existing sanctions than imposing new ones.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Marco Rubio. Photo: Getty Images Source: Rubio during a conversation with journalists after the meeting of foreign ministers of the G7 countries in Canada
Details: Responding to a journalist’s question about increased sanctions pressure on Moscow, Rubio said that “in fact, there is almost nothing left that we could subject to sanctions.”
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“We hit their biggest oil companies – that’s what everyone was asking for,” Rubio said.
Separately, the state secretary focused on the problem of the so-called “shadow fleet”, which Russia uses to circumvent oil restrictions. He described the fight against him as a “mechanism for enforcing sanctions” and not as an excuse for new ones. Rubio expressed the opinion that European partners should play a more active role in this process, since a significant part of the vessels pass closer to their territories.
When asked whether Russia really wants peace, Rubio replied that it can only be judged by actions. In his opinion, Moscow “clearly stated what they want – they want the rest of Donetsk region, and such demands are unacceptable for the Ukrainian side.”
Rubio also commented on the intensive missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, which, according to him, are aimed at destroying the energy grid and demoralizing the population.
In the context of supporting Ukraine, the Secretary of State confirmed that the US is conducting ongoing negotiations with the Ukrainian side regarding assistance in stabilizing the energy network. He emphasized that Ukraine’s energy system is degrading every year.
According to Rubio, the provision of both special equipment and defensive weapons for the protection of energy facilities is being discussed. However, a key problem remains the high risk of equipment destruction shortly after installation.
“If this equipment is destroyed a week after it is installed, it remains a problem. And it has been for the last two or three years,” Rubio summed up.
Prehistory:
- On Wednesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Group of Seven ministerial meeting in Canada. Sibiga thanked Rubio for US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts “and very effective energy sanctions against Russia.”