Trump team prepares harsh sanctions against Moscow to force peace - Bloomberg
Photo: Trump is preparing sanctions against Putin (Getty Images)
Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump are developing a wide-ranging sanctions strategy to facilitate a diplomatic agreement between Russia and Ukraine in the coming months, Bloomberg reports.
On January 10, the outgoing Joe Biden administration imposed the most crippling sanctions against Russian oil trade. This move has created an open question about how Trump feels about these measures, given his commitment to ending Russia's war against Ukraine as soon as possible.
According to Bloomberg, the Trump team is considering two main approaches. One, if the new administration believes that the end of the war is near, would include some measures in favor of sanctioned Russian oil producers that could help broker a peace deal. The second option would build on sanctions, further increasing pressure for more leverage, the sources said.
The Trump team's plans are in the early stages and ultimately depend on the president-elect himself, according to the sources. Last week, Trump said he was preparing a meeting with Vladimir Putin, raising the possibility of talks to end the war.
Some of Trump's cabinet nominees, as well as former sanctions officials in his first administration, are taking part in the strategy discussions. Several conservative think tanks are also being interviewed.
According to Bloomberg, at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Marco Rubio called sanctions a key lever that could lead to a peaceful settlement.
For the Trump team, a more aggressive Russian policy could lead to tougher secondary sanctions on oil trade, penalizing both European shippers and Asian buyers, including large companies in China and India, the sources said. Another possible approach is to insist on tougher interventions in the passage of tankers carrying Russian oil through the vital Danish and Turkish straits.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the EU fears that Donald Trump may cancel Joe Biden's executive orders on sanctions against Moscow after January 20. Brussels is concerned that Trump may try to reverse the decisions of his predecessor simply because Biden made them, without much thought about the consequences.
US officials have already taken steps to make it more difficult for Trump to unilaterally lift some sanctions against Russia. They have redefined several entities, requiring the president to notify Congress if he plans to lift restrictions on them.
