It only takes a week for Russia to destroy some of the weapons that the USA sends to Ukraine. That’s according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who points out that it is a ”concern”.
– That’s how it has been for the past two to three years, he says.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries met in Canada to discuss a number of current issues. Peace and stability in the Middle East, Taiwan and the situation in the South China Sea, Haiti, Sudan, and, as always, the war in Ukraine.
And after the meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio responds to questions from journalists.
”Don’t know what more we can do?”
One question is whether the USA intends to impose more sanctions on Russia to force an end to the war in Ukraine. Something that the US Secretary of State believes will be difficult.
– From our perspective, there is not much left to impose sanctions on. We struck against their major oil company, which everyone asked us to do. Of course, those sanctions need to be implemented, and it will take some time before they start to have an effect, he responds.
– But I don’t know what more we can do? We are running out of things to impose sanctions on.
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Marco Rubio also reveals that it has been a month since he last spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. And that there are currently no plans for any more top-level meetings between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
– I think we both agreed that the next time our presidents meet, there must be concrete results. We need to know when we go into negotiations that there is a real chance for something positive when we are finished.
– It would be wonderful if it happened. We want this war to end. But we can’t just have meetings for the sake of it.
Weapons destroyed in a week
Lately, Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian power plants and Ukraine’s power grid. Something that can be seen as a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure.
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Marco Rubio reveals that the USA is in dialogue with Ukraine to help them protect their infrastructure, but that it is difficult due to the persistent Russian attacks.
– We have discussed defensive weapons with them, so they can protect their power grid. I know that we also have ongoing technical discussions with them about exactly what equipment they need, he says, and then adds:
– But if the equipment is then destroyed a week after it is installed, that is a concern. And that’s how it has been for the past two to three years.
Highlights the situation in Sudan
A key issue for Rubio is the situation in Sudan, where the Arab militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) systematically murders the country’s black population. A genocide driven by an anti-black Arab power ideology.
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– Something must be done to stop the weapons and support that the RSF receives, says Rubio, describing the situation as a disaster.
The US Secretary of State believes that the world does not take the situation in Sudan seriously enough. And that he is concerned by the reports he receives from aid workers in the region.
– What is most worrying is that they have not seen the number of refugees they expected, because they assume that many of them are either dead or so sick and malnourished that they can no longer move. So what is happening is terrible, says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.