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 delay the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
The US could apply new sanctions against the banking system and infrastructure used for transporting Russian oil, but Trump wants European allies to make the next move first, American officials cited by Reuters said.
According to the sources cited, the next step Europe should take could involve imposing additional sanctions or trade tariffs on Moscow.
What Washington expects from Europe now
American officials have told their European counterparts that they support the use of Russian assets frozen by the European Union to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Washington has also had preliminary internal discussions on using Russian assets located in the US.
A source familiar with the internal dynamics of the Washington administration said that Trump will likely take a few weeks to evaluate Russia's response to recently announced sanctions targeting the Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft.
And Kiev has made proposals
Another source said that Ukrainian officials recently proposed to Washington to impose new sanctions on Russia. Among the suggestions offered was the disconnection of 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 in this direction. Several members of this chamber of Congress have resumed efforts to pass a long-blocked bipartisan sanctions bill. According to a source, Trump is ready to support this package, although such support is unlikely this month.
China drops Russian oil after US sanctions
The United States imposed measures this week targeting two of Russia's largest oil companies. The sanctions involve freezing all American assets of Rosneft and Lukoil and prohibiting all American companies from doing business with these Russian firms.
Some Chinese state oil giants have suspended their purchases of Russian oil by sea following the American sanctions imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained in a press conference on Thursday that the US imposed sanctions on the Russian oil sector due to Russia's lack of interest in peace.
T.D.