Trump Weighs Options to Squeeze Russia on Ukraine

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg’s daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

The incoming Trump administration is considering two options to try to bring the Ukraine war to a swift end, in line with the US president-elect’s campaign pledge. One involves some good-faith measures, like easing some of outgoing President Joe Biden’s tough sanctions on Russian oil producers, potentially helping seal a peace deal. The other, we hear, involves ramping up those sanctions even further. It remains to be seen which one the president will choose, but strategy discussions involving both Biden and Trump officials are taking place, and some think tanks are being consulted. Trump has said a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is being arranged, indicating that near-term negotiations to end the war may well be in the cards.