US could impose more sanctions on Russia, wants Europe to step up first

US could hit Russia with more sanctions to end Ukraine war, but first wants Europe to increase pressure

The Trump administration has prepared additional sanctions targeting key sectors of Russia’s economy if President Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending the war in Ukraine, US officials told Reuters.

US officials have indicated support for the EU using frozen Russian assets to purchase US weapons for Kyiv and have also discussed leveraging Russian assets held in the US to support Ukraine’s war effort.

A US official told Reuters that the administration’s new sanctions toolkit focuses on Russia’s banking sector and oil infrastructure, critical areas for Moscow’s war financing. While it is unclear whether Washington will immediately implement these measures, the plans reflect a well-developed approach to escalating pressure following the sanctions on Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft earlier this week.

The Wednesday sanctions on major oil firms caused global oil prices to rise by more than $2 and prompted buyers in China and India to seek alternative suppliers.

One senior official noted that the US would prefer European allies to take the next significant step, whether through new sanctions or tariffs, while Trump may pause briefly to gauge Moscow’s response to the latest measures.

Trump has positioned himself as a global peacemaker but acknowledged that ending Russia’s more-than-three-year war in Ukraine has been more challenging than anticipated. European allies, navigating Trump’s fluctuating stance toward Putin, are considering their own measures and hope the U.S. continues to increase pressure on Moscow.

Ukrainian officials recently proposed additional sanctions, including measures to cut off all Russian banks from the U.S. dollar-based system, according to sources familiar with those discussions.