U.S. Secretary of State Warns of “Potentially New Sanctions” on Russia if No Ukraine Peace Deal

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday issued a stark warning ahead of a pivotal White House meeting, stating that, should peace with Russia prove unattainable, the United States is prepared to impose new sanctions, on top of the existing ones, to address the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Speaking to NBC, Rubio asserted:

“If we’re not going to be able to reach an agreement here at any point, then there are going to be consequences—not only the consequences of the war continuing but the consequences of all those sanctions continuing, and potentially new sanctions on top of it as well.” (The News International)

During an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, Rubio continued:

“If peace is not going to be possible here and this is just going to continue on as a war, people will continue to die by the thousands … we may unfortunately wind up there, but we don’t want to wind up there.” (The News International)

The U.S.-hosted summit is set to bring together Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alongside European leaders, as they press President Donald Trump for a swift resolution following the recent Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rubio further emphasized that both Ukraine and Russia must make concessions for a peace deal to be viable—there can be no one-sided surrender. Discussions are expected to explore security guarantees for Ukraine as well as potential territorial compromises where proposed exchanges may include relinquishing minor occupied zones in return for the stabilization of frontlines.

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Key Messages

• The U.S. remains committed to crafting pathways to peace, but reiterated that further sanctions are on standby should negotiations collapse.
• Officials stress that mutual concessions and discussions around long-term security assurances are central to enabling sustainable peace.
• The upcoming Washington meeting, with President Trump, Zelenskyy, and European allies, marks a critical juncture for resolving the Russia–Ukraine conflict diplomatically.