The American authorities have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, especially in the banking and energy fields, in order to intensify the pressure on Moscow so that it rallies to the efforts of the American president Donald Trump aimed at putting an end to the war in Ukraine, according to three US officials and a source close to the case.
Among the targets are the Russian energy giant Gazprom, state owned, and important active entities in the natural and banking resources, said an administration official, who, like other sources, wished to keep anonymity to discuss this issue.
The manager has provided no additional details.
However, it is far from certain that this train of measures will be approved by Mr. Trump, whose sympathy for the declarations and actions of Moscow has given way to frustration in the face of rejection by Russian president Vladimir Putin of his calls to a cease-fire and peace talks.
The American National Security Council “tries to coordinate a series of more punitive measures against Russia,” said the source close to the file. “It should be approved by Mr. Trump.”
“This is entirely his decision,” confirmed a second American official.
“Since the start, the president has clearly expressed his commitment to a complete and global ceasefire,” said James Hewitt, spokesperson for the National Security Council. “We are not how to details of the current negotiations. »»
The US Treasury, which implements most American sanctions, has not responded to a request for comments.
The approval by Trump of new sanctions, which would follow the signing of a mineral agreement between the United States and Ukraine, which he has strongly encouraged in the context of his peace efforts, could signify a hardening of his position towards the Kremlin on Wednesday.
Since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the United States and its allies have imposed increasingly severe sanctions on this country. Although these measures were painful to the Russian economy, Moscow has found ways to get around them and continue to finance his war.
Mr. Trump “folded in four to give Mr. Putin all the opportunities to say:” Okay, we are going to conclude a cease-fire and put an end to war “, but Mr. Putin continues to reject him,” said Kurt Volker, former American envoy to NATO and special representative of the United States for negotiations with Ukraine during Mr. Trump’s first term. “This is the next step to put pressure on Russia. »»
“Putin has intensified her actions,” he continued. Trump “has now aligned the United States and Ukraine with an immediate and complete ceasefire request, and Putin is now the only exception.”
Since his entry into office in January, Trump has taken measures considered to be reinforced by Russia’s acceptance of his peace efforts, in particular by dissolving a working group from the Ministry of Justice responsible for enforcing the sanctions and targeting oligarchs close to the Kremlin.
He also made pro-Moscow statements, wrongly accusing the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy of having triggered the conflict and calling it “dictator”.
In addition, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, recommended a peace strategy that would give in four Ukrainian regions to Moscow, and met Putin four times, including the last time last week.
However, three days after this meeting, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, reiterated the maximalist requirements of Putin to reach an agreement, and the Russian forces have intensified their attacks on the front and their missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, making new victims among the civilian population.
Reuters reported
In March that the United States was developing a plan to soften the sanctions against Russia, but in recent weeks, Trump has expressed his frustration in the face of Putin’s attitude, who was slow to end the invasion, and last Saturday, he held a “very productive” meeting head-to-head with Zelenski in the Vatican.
The next day, Trump said in a message published on his social social platform which he seriously planned to impose banking sanctions, sanctions and large-scale customs duties on Russia, which would remain in force to a cease-fire and a final peace agreement.
Volker said Russia gained strong currencies that financed its army thanks to oil and gas sales to countries like India and China, and that it would be “very important” that Trump imposes secondary sanctions on these agreements.
Secondary sanctions are those by which a country seeks to punish another country for having traded with a third by prohibiting it from access to its own market, a particularly powerful tool for the United States due to the size of its economy. (Report by Jonathan Landay, Erin Banco, Gram Slattery and Steve Holland; additional report by Tim Gardner; edited by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell)
