Trump ready to intensify sanctions on Russia to maximum, says US Treasury Secretary
Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent stated that President Donald Trump is ready to significantly intensify economic sanctions against Russia to force it into peace talks, The Times reports.
According to Besent, Trump has instructed him to prepare US sanctions in case additional pressure is needed on Russia.
He assessed the level of sanctions imposed by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, against Moscow as six out of ten.
"We have kept those sanctions on and President Trump has instructed me that if we need to, we will go to a ten with sanctions to bring President Putin to the table," said Besent.
At the same time, the Treasury Secretary noted that he is optimistic and believes that the US President will be able to convince the Kremlin leader without additional sanctions.
"But all options are on the table to increase and go to maximum energy sanctions on Russia if needed," Besent added.
US sanctions against Russia
On March 17, the White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump may impose sanctions on Russia if his negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin are unsuccessful.
Earlier, on March 13, Donald Trump threatened to intensify sanctions against Russia if talks failed. It was also noted that sanctions could be eased if Russia agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Additionally, the US Treasury Department has stated that the United States is considering imposing the toughest sanctions against Russia, and such a decision will be made without hesitation if necessary.
Moreover, on March 13, it was revealed that the US did not extend the permission for Russian banks to process European payments for oil sales. The general license for purchasing Russian oil expired on March 12. As a result, European countries and US allies can no longer purchase oil from Russia without sanctions from Washington.
