Newsweek – The United States is preparing to potentially ease sanctions against Russia as President Donald Trump pushes to restore relations with Moscow and end the war in Ukraine, a U.S. official and another source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The White House has directed the Treasury and Department of State to compile a list of sanctions that could be lifted. U.S. officials are expected to discuss the proposals with Russian representatives in the coming days as part of broader diplomatic and economic negotiations, the sources told Reuters.
The Context
Monday’s report comes as tensions between the U.S. and Ukraine reached a boiling point after Friday’s contentious White House meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
What To Know
The U.S. and European allies leveled harsh sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
In addition to tightening the screws on Russia’s struggling economy, analysts say the sanctions are an important tool in staving off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continued aggression against neighboring Ukraine.
According to Reuters, the White House is now weighing sanctions relief and officials are drafting up a plan to ease them on some entities and individuals, including some Russian oligarchs.
Zelensky’s visit to the White House last week was part of a broader effort by the Ukrainian leader to shore up fraying relations with the U.S. over Trump’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war.
But their meeting quickly devolved as Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful” and saying, “You have no right to dictate what we should feel. You are gambling with World War III.”
“I have empowered you to be a tough guy. You either make a deal, or we’re out. You don’t have the cards,” Trump said. The “deal” to which Trump was referring was a rare earth minerals agreement where Ukraine would fork over a substantial amount of revenue it receives from the minerals without any American security guarantee.
The White House canceled a planned joint news conference, generally a staple of any bilateral meeting between two heads of state, after the sit-down.
Trump spent the weekend reiterating his attacks on Zelensky and told reporters during a Monday news conference that the Ukrainian leader should be “more appreciative” of America’s continued support.
The president also repeated a claim on Monday that the U.S. has given Ukraine $350 billion in aid. But Mark Cancian, senior defense and security adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told PolitiFact that the U.S. has likely spent from $175 billion to $185 billion on assistance to Ukraine.
Ukraine Oversight, a website the U.S. created in 2014 to coordinate and track its military aid to Ukraine, said that as of September 30, 2024, the U.S. had sent Ukraine $183 billion in aid.
At another point in Monday’s news conference—which was called to announce a $100 billion investment in the U.S. by Taiwanese chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.—Trump said that he had spoken to nearly 10 heads of state since his Oval Office blowup with Zelensky.
Leaders from across the globe took to social media in support of Ukraine and Zelensky after the meeting and a number of European countries held emergency talks over the weekend to discuss repairing the U.S.-Ukraine relationship.
Russia was pleased after the meeting, as a Kremlin spokesperson said in remarks aired Sunday that the shift in U.S. foreign policy strengthens Russia’s position.
“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely aligns with our vision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a state television reporter.
“There is a long way to go because a lot of damage has been done to the whole complex of bilateral relations,” he added. “But if the political will of the two leaders, President Putin and President Trump, is maintained, this path can be quite quick and successful.”
What People Are Saying
Zelensky issued a statement following his meeting with Trump, saying on X: “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
What Happens Next
As of Monday afternoon, Ukraine has not signed the rare earth minerals agreement. Several European countries have also said they will boost military aid to Ukraine in the wake of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump.
