US finalizes Russia sanctions over Ukraine as Trump weighs approval

The United States has finalized a new package of economic sanctions against Russia, targeting key sectors including banking and energy, in a renewed effort to pressure Moscow to support US President Donald Trump’s peace push to end the war in Ukraine, three US officials and a source familiar with the matter confirmed.

The sanctions package, which includes measures against state-owned energy giant Gazprom and major Russian entities involved in natural resources and finance, is ready but awaits final approval from President Trump. "It’s totally his call,” a second US official confirmed, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media.

Although Trump has previously shown sympathy for Moscow’s positions, frustration has reportedly grown over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to heed US calls for a ceasefire and peace negotiations.

"The US National Security Council is trying to coordinate some set of more punitive actions against Russia," said the source familiar with the issue. “This will have to be signed off by Trump.”

“From the beginning, the president has been clear about his commitment to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire," said National Security Council Spokesman James Hewitt. "We do not comment on the details of ongoing negotiations.”

Kurt Volker, former US special envoy to NATO and to Ukraine, said: "Trump has been bending over backwards to give Putin every opportunity to say, 'Okay, we're going to have a ceasefire and an end to the war,' and Putin keeps rejecting him. This is the next phase of putting some pressure on Russia."

“Putin has been escalating,” he continued. Trump "has got the US and Ukraine now in alignment calling for an immediate and full ceasefire, and Putin is now the outlier."

The sanctions decision follows the recent US-Ukraine minerals deal signed by Trump, and his announcement on Truth Social that he was “strongly considering large scale banking sanctions, sanctions and tariffs on Russia” pending a ceasefire and peace deal.

Volker noted that potential secondary sanctions targeting countries like India and China purchasing Russian oil could be "very significant" in curbing Moscow’s war financing.

The US Treasury declined to comment.

By Vafa Guliyeva