AP: European officials to meet US treasury on Russia sanctions

A team of European officials, led by EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan, will visit the US Treasury on September 8 to discuss various forms of economic pressure on Russia, including new sanctions, a person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the meeting, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on September 5 ahead of the meeting. The discussion followed a conversation between Vice President J.D. Vance and the top European official a day earlier.

The meeting comes as President Donald Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by his inability to end the 3½-year Russian war in Ukraine, sparked by Moscow’s invasion. Trump has attempted to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for direct talks aimed at ending the conflict, despite holding a summit with Putin last month in Alaska.

Trump’s August-imposed deadline for the Kremlin to end its invasion has since passed without results. Officials from the White House, State Department, and US Trade Representative are expected to participate in September 8’s meetings. The European delegation includes staff focused on energy, sanctions, financial services, and trade.

Since the Trump-Putin summit, Russia carried out a rare drone and missile attack on western Ukraine last month, striking an American-owned electronics plant. Trump has expressed increasing anger toward Putin but has not yet imposed new sanctions.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki this week, Trump said, “we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy. And if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”

On September 4, Trump urged European leaders to stop purchasing Russian oil, highlighting that Russia earned €1.1 billion in fuel sales from the EU in one year, according to a White House official. He also stressed that European leaders should place economic pressure on China for indirectly funding Russia’s war efforts, the official added.

Meanwhile, European leaders have continued independent discussions and pledged to potentially deploy a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, a move repeatedly called “unacceptable” by Moscow. On September 5, Putin warned that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine during the ongoing invasion “would be considered ‘legitimate targets’ by Moscow.”

 By Sabina Mammadli