According to Reuters, the White House has already prepared additional sanctions that could target key sectors of the Russian economy if dictator Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending the war against Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The US is looking for decisive action from the EU and has suggested using frozen Russian assets to buy American weapons for Ukraine.
- Trump will assess Putin's reaction to sanctions targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft before deciding on further action.
Trump knows how to stop Putin
According to insiders, the US president's team has told European allies that they support the EU's use of frozen Russian assets to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
In addition, the White House has held preliminary internal negotiations regarding the use of Russian assets located in the United States.
Currently, Donald Trump is demanding that official Brussels take the next big step towards Russia — it could be sanctions or tariffs.
Another insider told reporters that the US president will pause for a few weeks and assess Putin's reaction to the imposition of sanctions targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft.
Some of the additional sanctions the US has prepared are aimed at Russia's banking sector and the infrastructure used to deliver oil to the market, according to sources familiar with the matter.
It is also indicated that Zelensky's team recently proposed new sanctions to the US.
The main focus was on measures to disconnect all Russian banks from the dollar system with American partners. Washington's reaction to this idea is still unknown.
