According to people familiar with the matter, the US is preparing to impose a new round of sanctions on the Russian energy industry when Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects the Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement in order to increase pressure on Moscow. People familiar with the matter said that the US is considering various options, such as targeting so-called “shadow tanker fleets” used to transport Russian crude oil, and traders that facilitate related transactions. According to some people familiar with the matter, the new measures may be announced as soon as this week. People familiar with the matter revealed that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed relevant plans during a meeting with European ambassadors earlier this week. After the meeting, he posted on social media X: “President Trump is a peaceful president. I reaffirm that under his leadership, the United States will continue to focus on ending the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.” People familiar with the matter warned that the final decision depended on Trump. “The responsibility of each agency is to prepare different options for the president to implement,” the White House said in a statement. “The President has not made a new decision on sanctions at this time.” According to Interfax, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the Kremlin is aware that some US officials are considering plans to impose new sanctions on Russia. “Obviously any sanctions are not good for the process of rebuilding relations between the two countries,” he said. Oil prices rose briefly after the news was announced. Brent crude oil futures once rose 70 cents per barrel to $60.33, then the increase narrowed.

According to people familiar with the matter, the US is preparing to impose a new round of sanctions on the Russian energy industry when Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects the Russian-Ukrainian peace agreement in order to increase pressure on Moscow. People familiar with the matter said that the US is considering various options, such as targeting so-called “shadow tanker fleets” used to transport Russian crude oil, and traders that facilitate related transactions. According to some people familiar with the matter, the new measures may be announced as soon as this week. People familiar with the matter revealed that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed relevant plans during a meeting with European ambassadors earlier this week. After the meeting, he posted on social media X: “President Trump is a peaceful president. I reaffirm that under his leadership, the United States will continue to focus on ending the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.” People familiar with the matter warned that the final decision depended on Trump. “The responsibility of each agency is to prepare different options for the president to implement,” the White House said in a statement. “The President has not made a new decision on sanctions at this time.” According to Interfax, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the Kremlin is aware that some US officials are considering plans to impose new sanctions on Russia. “Obviously any sanctions are not good for the process of rebuilding relations between the two countries,” he said. Oil prices rose briefly after the news was announced. Brent crude oil futures once rose 70 cents per barrel to $60.33, then the increase narrowed.