Alaska summit: Putin paid cash to refuel planes, says Rubio; sanctions block banking access

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s delegation had to pay in cash for jet fuel, when he visited Alaska on August 15, for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said, citing ongoing US banking sanctions against Moscow.

“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 News.

The Russian delegation was in Alaska for around five hours as part of a high-level summit with President Trump. While Trump confirmed that no ceasefire deal was reached, reports indicate Russia had tabled an offer, with Trump encouraging Ukraine to consider it. However, no formal agreement emerged from the nearly three-hour meeting.

On the broader sanctions debate, Rubio defended the current measures, stating, “every single sanction that was in place on the day he took over remains and the impact of all those sanctions remains.” He added that despite their severity, these sanctions have not altered the direction of the war in Ukraine.

Responding to calls for stronger action, Rubio argued that imposing new sanctions could derail diplomatic engagement.

“The minute we take those steps, there is no one left in the world to go talk to the Russians and try to get them to the table to reach a peace agreement,” he said.

The summit also saw Trump meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to discuss long-term security guarantees. Zelenskyy reiterated his openness to direct talks with Putin but rejected any proposal involving territorial concessions.

Rubio acknowledged the limitations of economic penalties in forcing an outcome: “There is no evidence that more sanctions… would have an immediate effect, because sanctions take months and sometimes years to bite.”