- The export of oil from Russia by sea may decrease in the coming weeks due to U.S. sanctions, - Bloomberg
- Biden plans to prohibit the development of new oil and gas fields, - Bloomberg
- Due to the war in Ukraine, Russia faces significant issues in railway trade with China, - Bloomberg
This is reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Bloomberg. This is also reported by Kontrakty.UA.
The Biden administration implemented the most devastating sanctions against Russian oil trade on January 10. This move raises questions about Trump's stance on these measures, considering his commitment to swiftly ending the war Russia is waging against Ukraine.
According to Bloomberg, Trump's team is considering two main approaches. One approach, if the new administration believes that the end of the war is near, includes some measures favoring sanctioned Russian oil producers that could help secure a peace agreement. The second option would be based on sanctions, further increasing pressure to enhance leverage, sources said.
Plans from Trump's team are still in the early stages and ultimately depend on the elected president himself, sources indicate. Last week, Trump mentioned he is preparing for a meeting with Vladimir Putin, raising the likelihood of potential negotiations in the near future to end the war.
Some of the candidates for Trump's cabinet and former officials from his first administration's sanctions team are involved in discussing strategy. Several conservative think tanks are also being consulted.
As Bloomberg notes, during the confirmation hearings for his secretary of state nomination on Wednesday, Marco Rubio identified sanctions as a key lever that could lead to a peaceful resolution.
For Trump's team, a more aggressive Russian policy could result in stricter enforcement of secondary sanctions on oil trade, penalizing both European shippers and Asian buyers, including major companies in China and India, sources say. Another possible approach would be to insist on more stringent interventions in the passage of tankers carrying Russian oil through vital Danish and Turkish straits.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the EU fears that Donald Trump may cancel Joe Biden's sanctions orders against Moscow after January 20. Brussels is concerned that Trump might attempt to overturn his predecessor's decisions simply because they were made by Biden, without particularly considering the consequences.
U.S. officials have already implemented measures to complicate Trump's unilateral cancellation of some sanctions against Russia. They have redefined several entities, requiring the president to inform Congress if he plans to lift restrictions on them.