United States President-elect Donald Trumps advisers are crafting an oil sanctions strategy aimed at advancing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the discussions.The proposed plan uses a carrot-and-stick approach.
In one scenario, Trumps team could ease sanctions on Russian oil producers by issuing general licenses or raising the G7 oil price cap above $60 per barrel if a resolution to the war appears imminent.Conversely, the team is considering tightening sanctions to gain leverage over Moscow.
Potential measures could include stricter secondary sanctions targeting European shippers and major buyers in China and India, as well as enhanced monitoring of tanker routes through the Danish and Turkish Straits.These early-stage discussions reportedly involve Trumps cabinet nominees and former sanctions officials, but final decisions will depend on the president-elect himself, Bloomberg wrote.
Trumps team is expected to confront challenges similar to those faced by the outgoing Biden administration in balancing sanctions enforcement with avoiding global oil market disruptions.The report follows Trumps recent statements about a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin said it was open to arranging.Trump previously vowed to broker a peace deal before taking office on Jan.
20.
However,Reuters reported Wednesday that Trumps advisers believe a resolution to the war could take several months.Last week, Trumps Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg suggested a peace deal may take shape within the first 100 days of his taking office.Trumps criticism of United States military aid to Ukraine has raised concerns in Kyiv about potential pressure to accept a peace deal on terms favorable to Moscow.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stressed that without Washingtons support totaling tens of billions of dollars since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022 Ukraine would have likely lost the war.