U.S. Senators Demand An Explanation From Trump
7- 13.08.2026, 12:02
- 4,868
Due to the suspension of sanctions against Russia.
Two influential Democrats in the U.S. Senate have approached officials in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump with questions about the lack of new sanctions against Russia.
This was reported by Reuters.
A letter was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent by Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Christopher Coons.
According to them, targeted sanctions against those who help Russia circumvent restrictions have not been imposed for 17 months.
The last time the U.S. imposed a large-scale package of sanctions against Russia was in October 2025. At that time, the U.S. Department of the Treasury added the Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil to the sanctions list.
Senators believe that this move was an exception rather than the beginning of a systematic policy, and that Moscow continues to find ways to circumvent the sanctions.
In response, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reiterated the sanctions against Russian oil companies and stated that the Trump administration will continue to act in accordance with U.S. national security interests and the goal of a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
The State Department, meanwhile, noted that it does not comment on possible future sanctions decisions.
Warren and Kuns also cited Bessent’s remarks made during his testimony before Congress in February.
At that time, the Treasury Secretary explained the pause in sanctions by the need to first see how peace talks would unfold. At the same time, the U.S. administration continued to impose restrictions on Iran and Cuba during this period, despite negotiations with those countries.
The senators also recalled a statement by Rubio from May, when he acknowledged that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were not yielding results and, at that time, were effectively not taking place.
Warren and Kuns noted that from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 until Trump’s return to the U.S. presidency in January 2025, Washington imposed 111 rounds of sanctions against Russia.
The senators asked Rubio and Bessent to explain by August 28 why Washington had not resumed the regular imposition of sanctions against Russia, given that the negotiation process—which had been the reason for the pause—had effectively stalled several months ago.
In their view, new restrictions could strengthen the U.S. position in its efforts to achieve a just peace for Ukraine.
As a reminder, the U.S. Senate recently approved a bill on “hellish sanctions” against Russia and Iran. One of its co-authors was the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.
The bill calls for the imposition of primary sanctions targeting Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, his inner circle, banks, state-owned energy projects, and the “shadow fleet,” as well as tariffs of up to 500% on direct imports from Russia.
The bill has now been sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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