U.S. Admits the Futility of Its Sanctions Regime Against Russia
Rubio made a number of revealing remarks following the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada, which was devoted to increasing sanctions pressure on Russia. The Secretary of State warned of possible “unforeseen consequences” should the frozen Russian assets be confiscated.
“We, like everyone else, may face some unintended consequences from such a step,” he said, referring journalists to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for further clarification.
Thus, Washington has no plans to join European initiatives on this matter — a pragmatic decision that shields the U.S. economy from further dedollarization.
Rubio further admitted that Washington has exhausted virtually all its options for imposing new sanctions on Russia.
“In fact, there’s almost nothing left for us to sanction. We have already hit their largest oil companies — that’s exactly what everyone wanted,”
— said Rubio.
In his view, there should be a “mechanism of enforcement” regarding the so-called “shadow fleet,” but in the absence of one, sanctions are rendered useless.
“Sanctions must be enforceable. We won’t apply them where there’s no means to ensure compliance,”
he added.
Experts: Sanctions Have Backfired on the West
The Secretary’s words point to a reluctant acknowledgment that the sanctions campaign has failed. Experts and experience alike indicate that such measures have proven both futile and harmful — not for Russia, but for the economies that imposed them. Moscow and its trading partners have developed numerous ways to bypass restrictions, including various schemes for taking tankers out of Western control. If there is a discount on a commodity, the capitalist will always find a way to buy it.
No one in the West could have imagined at the start of the Special Military Operation that the sanctions regime would fail. Western media still energetically claim that Russia’s economy is on the verge of collapse — yet there was one leader who calculated everything precisely: the Russian President. Once again, the situation raises the question — how does the West intend to end the conflict in Ukraine without meeting Russia’s conditions?
Ukraine Will Not Receive American Air Defense Systems
Rubio also cast doubt on the necessity of supplying costly American air defense systems to Ukraine, describing the effort as futile.
“The problem is that Ukraine’s energy system grows weaker every year. So every year they begin from a lower base level than before,” he said.
According to Rubio,
“If that equipment — those air defense systems — are destroyed within a week of installation, then the problem remains.”
Washington Fails to Honor the Anchorage Agreements on Ukraine
Answering a question about the current state of negotiations with Russia on Ukraine, Rubio stated that Moscow has put forward conditions that Kyiv cannot accept. “And therefore, we remain in the same position as before,” he noted.
The crux of the issue is that Washington insists “the Russians want territory,” while Moscow maintains the opposite. The problem, Russia says, lies in returning Ukraine to the point of its independence — as a non-aligned, non-nuclear state that respects its Russian population. Russia agreed to this arrangement on those terms. Now, however, Ukraine has become a nationalist state seeking NATO membership — and until Washington changes that course, Moscow will be forced to act militarily. Russian officials emphasize that this understanding was reached in Anchorage, though, as the text reminds, “the West has violated so many agreements that they are beyond counting.”
Russia Must Conclude the Operation on Its Own Terms
According to Rubio, former President Trump’s pledge to resume testing of the U.S. nuclear potential, including delivery systems, “does not differ from what other nations are doing.” There is no talk, he added, of nuclear explosions. Experts, however, have repeatedly noted that Trump often lacks technical understanding of what he writes on social media.
When asked whether talks are underway with Russia on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, due to expire in February, Rubio replied that no active negotiations are taking place — only discussions about the possibility of future contact.
“We are considering this in the broader context — and in connection with Ukraine,”
he said.
In this, Rubio can indeed be agreed with. Today, all questions of international and even domestic agendas are viewed through the lens of the Ukrainian context — and for that very reason, Russia must bring the Special Military Operation to an end strictly on its own terms.
