Russian President Vladimir Putin had to pay nearly $250,000 (about Rs 2.2 crore) in cash to refuel three jets while returning from the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
When Putin arrived in Alaska on August 15 for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, he received a red carpet welcome. But his delegation had to pay for jet refuelling in cash, a direct result of US sanctions, Rubio explained.
“When the Russians landed in Alaska, they were there to refuel. They had to offer to pay in cash to refuel their aeroplanes because they can’t use our banking system,” Rubio told NBC.
“Every single sanction that was in place on the day he took over remains and the impact of all those sanctions remains,” Rubio said.
“They face consequences every single day, but the bottom line is that it has not altered the direction of this war. That doesn’t mean those sanctions were inappropriate; it means it hasn’t altered the outcome of it.”
Putin’s team remained in Alaska for about five hours, leaving shortly after a joint press conference. While Trump confirmed that “no deal” was reached, reports suggest an offer from Russia was still on the table, with some indications that Trump was encouraging Ukraine to consider it.
The Alaska summit concluded without a concrete agreement to end the war in Ukraine. The nearly three-hour meeting produced general remarks about progress on unspecified topics but failed to deliver measures toward a ceasefire, a goal Trump spoke about before the summit.
Asked why the US doesn’t impose more sanctions to force Russia into a ceasefire, Rubio said he didn’t believe new sanctions would compel Putin to agree.
He explained that Russia was already under severe sanctions, which could act as consequences for refusing a ceasefire, but there is no evidence that more measures would have an immediate effect, as “because sanctions take months and sometimes years to bite.”
On Monday, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders to discuss long-term security assurances for Kyiv. Zelenskyy said he was “ready” for direct talks with Putin but firmly rejected any proposals involving the surrender of Ukrainian territory.
