The Trump administration has developed a set of additional sanctions it could deploy against key sectors of Russia’s economy if President Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending the war in Ukraine, U.S. officials said on Friday.
The measures are reportedly designed to target Russia’s banking sector and the infrastructure used to export oil, officials familiar with the matter added.
Washington has also expressed support for the European Union to use frozen Russian assets to buy U.S. weapons for Kyiv and has discussed leveraging Russian assets held in the United States to further aid Ukraine’s war effort.
While it remains unclear whether these moves will be implemented immediately, officials said the administration has a well-developed toolkit to escalate pressure following Wednesday’s sanctions on Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft.
The announcement sent oil prices surging by more than $2 and prompted major Chinese and Indian buyers to seek alternatives.
Trump, who has positioned himself as a global peacemaker, acknowledged that ending Russia’s more-than-three-year war in Ukraine has proven harder than expected.
European allies, meanwhile, are urging Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow and are considering major actions of their own, including new sanctions or tariffs.
A senior U.S. official said European partners may take the lead on the next measures, while another source indicated that Trump is likely to pause for a few weeks to gauge Russia’s response to the latest sanctions.
Last week, Ukrainian officials proposed additional sanctions, including disconnecting Russian banks from the U.S. dollar-based financial system. It is not clear how seriously these requests are being considered. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers are pushing a long-stalled bipartisan sanctions bill, which Trump may endorse in the coming months.
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, expressed optimism on Friday that the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution.
Halyna Yusypiuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, welcomed the recent sanctions, emphasizing that “dismantling Russia’s war machine is the most humane way to bring this war to an end.”
The Treasury Department did not respond to requests for comment.
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