(MENAFN- UkrinForm) According to Ukrinform, citing The Hill , Rice made the comments at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.

“This last week was a turning point,” Rice said.

“I think the best news that we could possibly give to the Ukrainian people is that the U.S. and Europe have finally aligned around the idea that Vladimir Putin will not be stopped with words. He will only be stopped if he believes that he can go no further, he can win no further,” she explained.

Rice acknowledged that imposing secondary sanctions on Russia would be difficult, particularly due to the positions of countries like China and India. However, she emphasized that such measures would have a painful impact on the Kremlin.

“If you're China ... with an economy that's not in great shape ... or India, which really doesn't want to be on the wrong side of this, maybe you start thinking about whether that discounted Russian oil is really worth it,” the former Secretary of State noted.

She also criticized the Biden administration for delaying the delivery of weapons to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion began. Rice argued that if the U.S. had immediately provided everything Ukraine needed, while Russian forces were still in a weaker position, Ukraine would have won the war“outright”.

Read also: Following Kellogg's visit, U.S. sees Ukraine's victory as achievable goal – expert

As Ukrinform previously reported, Trump recently expressed strong disappointment with Russia for failing to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. He warned Moscow that if President Putin did not secure a peace agreement within 50 days, the U.S. would impose“severe” sanctions on Russia.

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