Rubio: U.S. Ready for Dialogue with Russia Despite New Sanctions

Washington has announced sweeping restrictions against Russia’s largest oil companies, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. remains open to negotiations. The U.S. intends to continue dialogue with Russia despite the introduction of fresh sanctions. “We want to continue meeting with Russian representatives,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters late Thursday, October 23, European time. “We are always going to be interested in engaging if there’s an opportunity to achieve peace,” he said, as reported by dw.com. Earlier, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Russia’s largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent explained this move by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to end the war in Ukraine. Commenting on Bessent’s remarks, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced hope that the “large-scale” sanctions against Russia would be short-lived. At the same time, he canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, saying that his talks with the Russian president on ending the war in Ukraine were “going nowhere.”