President Donald Trump will likely meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week as he continues his effort to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly warned of sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin does not compromise, but he has not enforced them even as Moscow steps up its attacks, a situation that has frustrated Kyiv.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he will impose major sanctions on Russia only after NATO members stop buying Russian oil – creating another hurdle to implementing sanctions.
Rubio, speaking to reporters in Israel, said Trump has been deeply engaged in talks with both sides. “He’s going to keep trying. If peace is possible, he wants to achieve it,” Rubio said. “At some point the president may conclude it’s not possible. He’s not there yet, but he could get to that point.”
Rubio noted that Trump has had “multiple calls with Putin, multiple meetings with Zelensky, including probably next week again in New York,” where world leaders will gather for the UN General Assembly.
Trump made headlines last month when he welcomed Putin to Alaska – the first time since the 2022 invasion that a Western country hosted the Russian leader.
Speaking at a press conference following the talks, the US president offered a mix of optimism and caution: “There’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Trump outlined that while many points of agreement were reached, a few significant obstacles remain. “We’ve paid some headway,” Trump said, noting that only a “very few” points are left to be resolved, with one being particularly “significant.”
Since then, however, Moscow has not changed its hardline stance and maximalist demands, still calling for major territorial concessions from Ukraine.
Only days later, Trump met with Zelensky in Washington, where European leaders also joined the talks at the White House.
Rubio said Trump’s role is unique because he has direct channels to Putin, Zelensky and European leaders at the same time.
“If somehow he were to disengage from this, or sanction Russia and say, ‘I’m done,’ then there’s no one left in the world that could possibly mediate the end,” Rubio said.
Trump entered office promising to end the war within a single day, blaming former President Joe Biden for failing to prevent Russia’s invasion and criticizing the billions of dollars in US military aid sent to Ukraine.
