Sanctions Risk Pushing Russia Away From Talks, Rubio Says

President Donald Trump thinks Russia will likely walk away from Ukraine peace talks if the US threatens more sanctions, according to his top diplomat, supporting the White House’s decision not to pressure Moscow despite its resistance to a ceasefire.

“If you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday. “And there’s value in us being able to talk to them and drive them to get to the table.”