US’s Bessent Floats Russian Sanctions Relief

Sanctions relief for Russia could be on the table, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Bloomberg Television, a remark that feeds European fears that the US may walk away from its support for Ukraine. He said the US is prepared to either ramp up or take down penalties based on Moscow’s willingness to negotiate a peace deal.

Bessent also suggested that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s recent remark that President Donald Trump was falling for Russian disinformation was “inappropriate” and inserted “daylight” into the relationship. Trump called Zelenskiy a dictator yesterday, which left Europeans scrambling to defend the wartime leader. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Bloomberg TV that Trump “has his own unique way of expressing himself.” (Watch the Bessent and Mitsotakis interviews.)