According to some sources collected by Reuters, on May 2, the US is said to have completed a series of new economic sanctions targeting Russia to pressure Moscow to end the conflict with Ukraine.
An unnamed US official said that the targets of the upcoming sanctions package include large entities in the natural resources and banking sectors, including state-owned energy giant Gazprom, but did not provide further details.
However, a source from the US National Security Council noted that "more severe" sanctions against Russia still need to be approved by President Donald Trump. Its entirely up to President Trumps decision, another unnamed official shared.
While it is unclear whether the plan will be approved by Trump, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said that at least 72 senators currently support tough sanctions if Russia refuses to negotiate peace. Mr. Graham affirmed that the goal of this group of lawmakers is to give President Trump more leverage against Russia.
According to RT, the move comes as the Trump administration is actively promoting negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict.
The US has also proposed a peace plan, including Washington recognizing Russia's sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and recognizing Russia's control over the merged areas, including Ukraine's four territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Although all four regions have voted to join Russia, this has not been internationally recognized.
Russia has previously been subject to US sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis since 2014, and these measures have been significantly tightened after the conflict escalated in 2022. Moscow has called Washington's sanctions illegal.
In another development, on May 2, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said that Washington would not continue to participate in international meetings, and called on Russia and Ukraine to build their own solutions to end the conflict.
The announcement came after the US signed a mineral deal with Ukraine with terms that were considered more favorable than initially expected. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is also said to have approved the first batch of weapons for Kiev since taking office.
