Russian President Vladimir Putin’s delegation must pay $250,000 in cash during a meeting in Alaska –
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russian President Vladimir Putin had to pay nearly $250,000 (about Rs 22 crore) in cash to refuel three jets while returning from the United States.
Putin was welcomed by the red carpet when he arrived in Alaska on August 15 for a high-stakes meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Rubio pointed out that his delegation had to pay for cash-in-fueled payments, which was a direct result of U.S. sanctions.
Sanctions still bite people, but the direction of war remains unchanged
“When the Russians landed in Alaska, they were there to cheer. They had to be willing to pay to cheer because they couldn’t use our banking system,” Rubio told Foreign News Channel.
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“On the day he took over the body, all the sanctions were there, and the effects of all these sanctions remained,” Rubio said. “They face consequences every day, but most importantly, it didn’t change the direction of the war. That doesn’t mean these sanctions are inappropriate; it means it doesn’t change its outcome.”
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Alaska summit has no deal ended
Putin’s team stayed in Alaska for about five hours and left shortly after the joint press conference. Although Trump confirmed a “no deal”, reports suggest Russia’s proposal is still on the table, with some signs that Trump encouraged Ukraine to consider it.
The Alaska summit ended without a specific agreement to end the war in Ukraine. The nearly three-hour meeting produced general comments on progress on unspecified topics but failed to provide measures for the ceasefire, and Trump spoke about a goal ahead of the summit.
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Asked why the U.S. doesn’t take more sanctions to force Russia to a ceasefire, Rubio said he doesn’t think the new sanctions will force Putin to agree.
He explained that Russia has been subject to serious sanctions, which may be the consequence of a rejection of a ceasefire, but there is no evidence that more measures will have immediate impacts because “because the sanctions take months, sometimes years, to bite people.”
On Monday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders to discuss Kiev’s long-term security assurance. Zelenskyy said he was “prepared” to negotiate directly with Putin but firmly rejected any suggestions involving Ukrainian territorial surrender.
