The US is preparing a new package of sanctions against Russia's energy sector to increase pressure on Moscow if Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin rejects a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, writes UNN.
Details
"The US is considering options such as targeting vessels of Russia's so-called shadow tanker fleet used to transport Moscow's oil, as well as traders facilitating these transactions," said people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
New measures could be unveiled as early as this week, according to some people.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed these plans when he met with a group of European ambassadors earlier this week, sources said. "President Trump is a president of peace, and I reiterated that under his leadership, America will continue to prioritize ending the war in Ukraine," he wrote on X after the meeting.
Sources cautioned that any final decision rests with US President Donald Trump.
The Kremlin knows that some American officials are considering plans to impose new sanctions against Russia, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian media as telling reporters on Wednesday. "It is obvious that any sanctions harm the process of restoring relations," he said.
Oil prices briefly rose after the news. Brent futures rose 70 cents a barrel, trading at $60.33, before paring their gains.
The wide range of sanctions imposed against Russia since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 has not yet changed Putin's calculations, the publication notes. However, measures targeting Moscow's oil giants and its trade have led to oil prices falling to their lowest level since the invasion began, significantly burdening the country's already troubled economy.
Discussions of further measures come as American and Ukrainian negotiators made some progress this week on the terms of a potential peace deal. US Ambassador Steve Witkoff was in Berlin for two days of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders on the latest proposals.
American, Ukrainian, and European officials welcomed significant progress on US-backed guarantees to ensure Ukraine's post-war security.
According to some sources, "disputed issues remain regarding the future status of territories in eastern Ukraine, the use of frozen assets of the Russian central bank, and the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant." Ukraine is also reportedly "wanting to see in writing exactly what its allies would do in the event of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine."
Russia demands that Ukraine cede parts of Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Putin's troops and proxies have tried but failed to occupy since 2014. US proposals envision turning the unoccupied territory into a demilitarized or free economic zone under special administration.
"It is unclear whether this territory would be de facto recognized as Russian under these plans, and what, if any, concessions Moscow is willing to offer in return," the publication writes. Ukraine and many of its allies have shied away from the prospect of ceding territory to Russia and withdrawing troops from areas critical to Ukraine's defense, the publication notes.
According to some sources, "US officials are also considering frozen Russian assets as part of any future peace deal, just as European leaders are due to decide later this week whether to use frozen assets to provide military and economic aid to Ukraine."
Moscow reacted furiously to this prospect, which, according to some sources, "is a sign that it is trying to thwart this move and seeks to weaken sanctions against its increasingly ailing economy."
"As negotiations are burdened by complex issues of territory and security guarantees, attention shifts to Putin's response, and so far there is little to indicate that he is ready to stop his attacks or change his goals," the publication notes.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said this week that he was "very confident" that the war was nearing its end. Nevertheless, in an interview with ABC News, he said that Moscow's territorial demands remained unchanged and ruled out the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine under a peace agreement.
"I am almost certain that we are on the verge of resolving this terrible crisis," Ryabkov said, without going into details. "We are ready for a deal, in President Trump's words, and I hope, fingers crossed, that it will happen sooner rather than later."
Widely imposed sanctions against Russia, the publication notes, "have done little" to raise the price of oil, whose market is moving into surplus, and growth is expected only next year. Brent futures have fallen 20% this year and on Tuesday fell to their lowest level since February 2021.
The US has already imposed sanctions against four leading Russian producers and, along with other G7 countries, against hundreds of tankers involved in transporting Moscow's oil.
Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, held a five-hour conversation with Putin in the Kremlin on December 2.
Zelenskyy said on Monday that he has an agreement with the US to make security guarantees legally binding through a vote in Congress as part of any deal to end the war. He also said he expects the US to hold further consultations with Russia, while Ukrainian negotiators may return to the US for further talks in the coming days.
Number one is security guarantees from the US - Zelenskyy16.12.25, 16:50 • [views_3300]