US Hails Putin Talks But Says Sanctions On Russia's Trade Partners Still Coming
US plans new sanctions on Russia's trading partners despite "productive" talks in Moscow.
The United States said it would proceed with a new round of secondary sanctions targeting Russia's trading partners even as Washington described diplomatic talks in Moscow as 'highly productive." The announcement comes after US President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on Indian goods citing New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for a three-hour session focused on the Ukraine conflict. While the tone was described as encouraging, officials made it clear that it would not alter Washington's pressure campaign on those enabling the Kremlin's war economy.
'The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday," a senior US official said as per AFP, underlining that diplomatic engagement would not come at the cost of accountability.
The upcoming measures are expected to target third-party countries and companies engaged in trade with Russia- particularly in energy and dual-use sectors. India, a major purchaser of Russian crude, became the first significant economy to face punitive action as Donald Trump announced a 25% ad valorem tariff today on top of the 25% existing tariff.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Donald Trump praised Steve Witkoff's meeting with Vladimir Putin as 'highly productive." He wrote, 'My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European Allies. Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
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