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For months, President Donald Trump resisted calls to impose new sanctions on Russia, believing he could end the war in a deal with Vladimir Putin, including a quick peace summit in coming weeks in Budapest.
In a dramatic reversal this week, Trump canceled those plans and then went a step further, imposing the first direct sanctions on Moscow during his second term.
"It was time ," Trump said.
But the sudden shift came from an assessment by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, an early opponent of Russia who once called Putin a "gangster," and that Moscow had not made any fundamental changes in its stance, according to US and European officials familiar with the matter.
The people, who asked not to be identified discussing internal discussions, said Rubio canceled a planned face-to-face meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the two men spoke on the phone and it became clear that the Kremlin was trying, once again, to slow ceasefire talks and drag out the war.
Rubio's influence in changing the administration's stance signals an even broader role for the top U.S. diplomat, who has also advocated a more aggressive approach toward Venezuela as Trump's interim national security adviser.
His stance contrasted with the more accommodating strategy toward Russia advocated by Trump's early friend and special envoy, Steve Witkoff. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly disputed Rubio's characterization of his role.
"President Trump always leads foreign policy, and his agenda is implemented by national security officials like Secretary Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff, who are a single, unified team behind the President's "America First " vision," she said.
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