Trump administration prepares new sanctions against key sectors of Russian economy – Reuters
The United States has prepared additional sanctions that could be imposed on key sectors of the Russian economy if Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin continues to stall on ending the war.
Source: Reuters citing US officials and another source familiar with the matter, as reported by European Pravda
Details: US officials have told their European counterparts that they support the European Union using frozen Russian assets to purchase American weapons for Ukraine. Washington has also held preliminary internal discussions on using Russian assets located in the US.
One US official said he wanted European allies to take the next major step against Russia, which could involve additional sanctions or tariffs.
Another source familiar with the administration's internal dynamics said that Trump is likely to pause for a few weeks and assess Russia's response to the recently announced sanctions targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft.
Reportedly, some of the additional measures prepared by the US target Russia's banking sector and infrastructure used to transport oil to market.
One of the sources said that Ukrainian officials have recently proposed new sanctions to Washington. Specific suggestions included disconnecting all Russian banks with American partners from the dollar system. It remains unclear how seriously these proposals are being considered.
The US Senate is also moving forward, with several lawmakers reviving efforts to pass a long-stalled bipartisan sanctions bill. The source stated that Trump is ready to support this package, though such support is unlikely this month.
Background:
- The US imposed measures this week targeting two of Russia's largest oil companies. The sanctions involve freezing all US-based assets of Rosneft and Lukoil and prohibit all US companies from conducting any business with these Russian firms.
- Some Chinese state-owned oil giants have suspended their purchases of seaborne Russian oil following the US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil.
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained at a briefing on 23 October that the US has imposed sanctions on Russia's oil sector due to Russia's lack of interest in peace.
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