Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday denied that the U.S. is considering lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets as part of a deal with Ukraine, rejecting a report published by Politico.
In a statement posted on the social media site X, Rubio said that neither he nor Steve Witkoff, Trump’s point person for talks with Russia, had any conversations about lifting sanctions against Russia.
“This is unequivocally false,” Rubio wrote.
Restrictions on Russia’s energy sector by the U.S. and democratic allies are one of the main efforts of sanctions imposed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine in Feb. 2022, although Kyiv’s most ardent supporters say more can be done to bankrupt the Kremlin’s main source of revenue that fuels its military.
Politico reported that the White House is considering lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets in Europe and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, one of the most high-profile Russian energy projects to Europe. Trump sanctioned the pipeline during his first term. The Biden administration lifted those sanctions but reimposed them following Russia’s start of the war.
Politico cited Witkoff as the main proponent of easing U.S. sanctions on Russian energy. Witkoff has met face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin at least three times and is reportedly set to meet again on April 25.
In March, Russia said it expected the U.S. to ease certain sanctions in exchange for accepting a U.S.-proposed partial ceasefire in Ukraine. The Russian president’s office said Moscow understood the U.S. as offering to help restore access for Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports to the world market and allowing certain banking transactions.
The White House did not address Russia’s demands, which came after Russian negotiators met with U.S. officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
President Trump has called for Russia and Ukraine to show enthusiasm for American-led efforts to end the more than three-year war and has threatened to walk away as a mediator if progress is not made in short order.
Trump has lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he is harming efforts at peace by rejecting U.S. proposals to recognize Russia’s occupation of the Crimean Peninsula. On Thursday, Trump also said he is “not happy” with Putin for deadly attacks against civilians in Ukraine that took place overnight.
