Disclosure: The Trump administration has prepared an arsenal of sanctions to hit key areas of Russia's economy. But first, they are waiting for something from the Europeans
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, at the joint press conference in Alaska, on August 15, 2025. PHOTO: American Photo Archive / Alamy / Profimedia
The Donald Trump administration has prepared other sanctions that could hit key areas of the Russian economy if Vladimir Putin continues to delay ending Russia's war in Ukraine, but wants Europe to increase pressure on Moscow first, a US official and another person with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
U.S. officials have also told European counterparts they support the EU's use of frozen Russian assets to buy U.S. weapons for Kiev, and Washington has held preliminary internal discussions about using Russian assets held in the U.S. to support Ukraine's war effort, two U.S. officials said.
While it is unclear whether Washington will enact any of these measures in the immediate future, it shows the administration has a well-developed toolkit to up the ante after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia on Wednesday for the first time since he took office in January.
Fury in Moscow after Trump imposes sanctions: 'The US is our enemy and their talkative peacemaker is on the path to war with Russia'
Trump has positioned himself as a global peacemaker but acknowledged that trying to end Russia's more than three-year war in neighboring Ukraine has proved more difficult than he had anticipated.
The Americans want the Europeans to make the next move
European allies — hurt by Trump's swings between pleasing and angering Putin — hope he will continue to pressure Moscow and are also considering major action.
A senior US official told Reuters that he would like European allies to make the next major move against Russia, which could be sanctions or additional tariffs.
Another source with knowledge of the administration's internal dynamics said Trump would likely take a break for several weeks to gauge Russia's reaction to Wednesday's sanctions announcement.
These sanctions target oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft. The measures sent oil prices soaring by more than $2 and prompted China and India, the main buyers of Russian crude, to look for alternatives.
An Energy Ministry official says Lukoil is now “obliged” to sell the Petrotel Ploiesti refinery following Trump's sanctions. “We would be happy to no longer have Lukoil”
What great sanctions do the Americans still have in their “arsenal”.
Some of the additional sanctions being prepared by the U.S. target Russia's banking sector and the infrastructure used to trade oil, a U.S. official and another person familiar with the matter said.
Last week, Ukrainian officials proposed new sanctions to the US, said a source familiar with the discussions.
Among the concrete ideas proposed were measures to exclude all Russian banks from the dollar-based system with their American counterparts, two sources said. It is not clear, however, how seriously Ukraine's requests are being considered, notes Reuters.
The US Senate is also taking action, with some lawmakers resuming efforts to advance a long-stalled bipartisan sanctions bill.
A person familiar with the administration's internal dynamics said Trump was willing to approve the package. But the source warned that such an approval was unlikely to happen this month.
“The Most Humane Way to End War”
Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said Friday that he believes his country, the United States and Ukraine are close to a diplomatic solution to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
Halyna Yusypiuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, said the recent sanctions decision was appreciated, but had no further comment.
“Dismantling Russia's war machine is the most humane way to end this war,” she stressed.
