"We'll see where the peace talks go": Bessent doesn't rule out new sanctions against Russia
Scott Bessent (Photo: EPA/WILL OLIVER)

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent did not rule out the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Russia, in particular on the so-called shadow fleet.

"We will see where the peace talks go," said he said on Thursday during a hearing at the US Senate Banking Committee.

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He emphasized that the October sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil became the Trump administration's greatest achievement in sanctions policy, as he believes that these measures "brought the Russians to the table for the talks," dwarfing all previous sanctions.

"The previous administration was extremely weak on sanctions, and it was on record as saying that they did not want to increase energy sanctions because they were worried about the midterms, worried about the failed election of Vice President Harris," the minister said.

He reiterated his position on Russian aggression, calling Russia's invasion of Ukraine illegal and a violation of sovereignty, and Vladimir Putin – a war criminal.

  • on February 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy howled that It's time for the United States to step up sanctions against Russia after a new massive shelling, with which Moscow broke its promise to the American president To Donald Trump.
  • Last year, the U.S. Congress registered a bipartisan bill, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, which gives the U.S. President the ability to impose large-scale new sanctions against Russia, as well as against countries that buy Russian energy and other critical exports, in response to Russia's refusal to participate in peace talks. The proposed measures include, in particular, the introduction of a 500 percent duty on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, natural gas, petroleum products or uranium, as well as expanded restrictions on Russian sovereign debt and financial transactions involving sanctioned entities.
  • By the end of the year, the U.S. Senate also introduced the bipartisan Decreasing Russia's Oil Profits (DROP) Act of 2025, which provides for sanctions for purchasing or facilitating the import of oil and oil products from Russia.