Two senior Democratic US senators on Wednesday pressed Trump administration officials to explain why they have paused imposing fresh sanctions on companies, banks, and other entities that help Russia evade existing restrictions over its invasion of Ukraine, even though peace talks have not proved fruitful.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Christopher Coons sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent questioning the administration's approach. The senators said the administration has paused regular, targeted sanctions aimed at countering Russian sanctions evasion for 17 months.
The US last imposed major sanctions on Russia in October 2025, when the Treasury Department targeted Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil. The senators said they viewed those sanctions as a one-off measure and argued that Russia has been able to evade existing restrictions.
Administration wants to 'see where the peace talks go,' Bessent says
The letter cited Bessent telling Congress in February that the administration wanted to "see where the peace talks go" before resuming some counter-evasion sanctions, even as the administration imposed sanctions on Iran and Cuba during talks with those countries.
It also cited Rubio saying in May that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine had not been fruitful and that no such talks were taking place at the time.
According to the letter, the US imposed 111 sets of sanctions on Russia between its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and January 2025, the month President Donald Trump began his second term.
Sanctions imposed during former president Joe Biden's term did little to stop Russia.
The senators asked Rubio and Bessent to respond by August 28 to the question: "If the administration paused regular Russia sanctions because of peace talks, and those talks stalled months ago, why hasn't the Administration resumed routine and frequent U.S. sanctions to rebuild leverage for a just peace in Ukraine?"
The Senate passed new sanctions legislation targeting Russia this month, but its future remains uncertain. Democrats and some Republicans have expressed concern that the legislation could give Trump new powers to impose tariffs on goods from US allies, including Japan and some European countries.
The Treasury and State departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.