Politico: White House undecided on how to deal with Russia after Ukraine subsoil deal
The White House does not yet know how to deal with Russia in the wake of the minerals deal with Ukraine. This was reported to Politico by two anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.
According to them, the breakthrough in the agreement with Ukraine is unlikely to mitigate the resistance of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to the peace plan of US President Donald Trump. And the White House does not know how to change this.
The interlocutors noted that this could lead to the White House having to make difficult decisions, including those related to direct pressure on the Kremlin. However, Trump, in their opinion, is not ready for this.
"Tougher sanctions could be the next step. If the president wants to go this way," said one of the interlocutors .
However, it is not clear whether the additional sanctions regime is enough to put pressure on Putin.
An unnamed US Treasury official said that the US's strong economic interest in Ukraine's future, referring to the fossil fuel deal, would show Russia that America is "committed to Kyiv's long-term success.".
- on May 1, Politico reported that Macron, Starmer convinced Trump to change his rhetoric on Putin.
- US Treasury Secretary Bessent said that Trump gave Zelenskiy a flashpoint with the subsoil deal.
- On May 2, Rubio said that Trump should decide, how much more time the US will devote to Russia and Ukraine at a high-level meeting.