All sanctions on Russia to continue, may consider new sanctions if peace talks stall: US

US secretary of state Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump's Ukraine policy, stating that no concessions had been made to Russia.Rubio emphasised that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not received any advantages from the administration's approach."He hasn't gotten a single concession," Rubio said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Times reported.The statement came in response to criticism from Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Shaheen argued that Trump's actions since returning to the White House had emboldened Putin's territorial ambitions, providing him additional time to manoeuvre.She further stated that Chinese backing of Russia, combined with Trump's diminished diplomatic leverage, had reduced Putin's motivation to pursue a ceasefire in Ukraine.Addressing the situation, Rubio explained that Trump, who held another telephone conversation with Putin on Monday, was hesitant to implement additional sanctions against Russia, unlike the European Union's recent decision.Rubio indicated that sanctions might become necessary if Russia demonstrated no genuine interest in peace negotiations and continued military operations.

"If, in fact, it is clear that the Russians are not interested in a peace deal and they just want to keep fighting a war, it may very well come to that point," Rubio said.Trump "believes that right now, if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking, and there's value in us being able to talk to them and drive them to get to the table," Rubio said.A two-hour telephone conversation between President Trump and Putin on Monday produced no immediate resolution.

Trump expressed confidence in Putin's desire for peace, Fox News reported. "I think he's had enough. I think he's had enough. It's been a long time. This has been going on for more than three years. When you think, it's been going on for a long time," Trump stated.Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's efforts towards peace, Trump responded, "I'd rather tell you in about two weeks from now, because I can't say yes or no.""Look, he's a strong person, Zelenskyy, a strong guy, and he's not the easiest person to deal with," Trump noted. "But I think that he wants to stop, and it's a very bad thing that's happening over there. I think he wants to stop. But I could answer that question better in two weeks or four weeks from now. I hope the answer is that he wants to get it solved."