When Vladimir Putin touched down in Alaska for last week’s summit, even basics like refueling his plane came with a twist: under existing sanctions, his delegation offered to pay in cold, hard cash rather than use electronic transfers.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Trump’s choice to keep fresh penalties off the table, despite Mr. Putin declining to back a ceasefire. “Every sanction that was in place when we took office remains,” Rubio said. “They live with those consequences every single day. These measures haven’t changed the war’s trajectory but that doesn’t make them wrong.”
Putin’s visit lasted barely five hours. He and Mr. Trump addressed reporters side by side before the Russian delegation departed. President Trump insisted “no deal” was struck, though word leaked that a Russian proposal is quietly circulating and that the White House may be nudging Ukraine to give it a look.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to arrive in Washington on Monday for his own sit-down with President Trump. Both Mr. Zelenskyy and senior European leaders have urged tougher sanctions to pressure Moscow.
Rubio made clear that new penalties remain available but warned they’d come at a cost. “The moment we impose more sanctions, talks stop,” he explained. “Then there’s nobody left willing to sit down with Russia to negotiate peace.”
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