Trump Weighs Lifting Sanctions on Russia 

By Staff, Agencies

The White House has directed the State and Treasury departments to draft proposals for easing certain sanctions on Russia. The tentative plans would align with US President Donald Trump’s efforts to improve diplomatic and economic relations with Moscow and to facilitate an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

The proposed sanctions relief could include specific Russian entities and individuals, including some business leaders, according to the outlet. The list will be discussed with Russian representatives in the coming days as part of the administration’s broad talks with Moscow on repairing ties.

However, it remains unclear what concessions or actions Washington might seek in exchange. The White House, State Department, Treasury Department, and the Russian embassy in Washington have not commented so far.

The reported decision follows a series of diplomatic engagements between the US and Russia. On February 12, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call, beginning discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict. Subsequently, high-level meetings have taken place in Saudi Arabia and Türkiye between US and Russian officials.

At the Saudi meeting, the US delegation, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, explored avenues for economic cooperation, including potential joint ventures in the energy and technology sectors. The talks also addressed the possibility of restoring embassy staffing levels to improve diplomatic communications.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who lead the Russian delegation, described the meeting in Riyadh as a first step toward rebuilding relations, stressing that Moscow and Washington need to “clean up the legacy” left by the Biden administration. Lavrov said that a swift appointment of ambassadors in Washington and Moscow would be an important step toward restoring full-scale cooperation.

Trump has maintained throughout that sanctions relief would not precede a formal peace agreement. He has said that any easing of restrictions would be contingent upon concrete steps toward ending the conflict in Ukraine.

Putin has welcomed efforts with the US on the diplomatic front and expressed Moscow’s willingness to resolve the Ukraine conflict through peaceful means. He stressed Russia’s goal of establishing an international system that fairly considers the interests of all parties, ensuring a lasting and indivisible security framework for Europe and the world. Such a system would prevent some nations from securing their safety at the expense of others, including Russia.