- The sanctions depend on Putin’s acceptance of a peace deal with Ukraine.
- Planned measures include measures against Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers.
- President Donald Trump will ensure the exact decision on sanctions.
The United States is preparing new sanctions on the Russian energy sector, which they will impose in the event that the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, rejects a peace agreement with Ukraine. Citing sources familiar with the preparations, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. According to her, new measures to increase pressure on Russia could be introduced as early as this week, writes TASR.
According to unnamed sources, the US is considering various options, such as targeting vessels belonging to the Russian so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to transport Russian oil, as well as traders brokering transactions with Russian energy resources.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed plans for anti-Russian sanctions this week at a meeting with a group of European ambassadors, sources said. Bessent wrote after the meeting on the X Network that the United States under the leadership of President Donald Trump will continue to prioritize ending the war in Ukraine.
“We haven’t seen any such news yet. However, it is well known that multiple offices in Washington have such plans,Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question about Bloomberg’s report on Wednesday
Unnamed sources pointed out that the final decision on imposing sanctions on Russia rests with Trump. On Monday evening, after a phone call with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he declared that an agreement to end the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is closer than ever before.
American, European and Ukrainian officials said after the negotiations, which took place on Sunday and Monday in Berlin, that considerable progress had been made. Ten European leaders issued a joint statement on Monday evening, which mentioned robust security guarantees for Ukraine as well as assistance in the country’s economic recovery.
Disputed points in the talks remain the future of the territories in eastern Ukraine, the use of frozen assets of the Russian Central Bank and also the management of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the sources said. Kyiv also wants to have written confirmation of what exactly its allies will do in the event that Russia attacks Ukraine again, Bloomberg added.
