The United States is preparing a further round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The US is considering options such as targeting vessels in Russia's so-called shadow fleet of tankers used to transport Moscow’s oil, and traders who facilitate the transactions, the report said.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The White House and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The new measures could be announced as early as this week, the report said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed the move when he met a group of European ambassadors earlier this week, the report added.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russia's position on the deployment of any European troops to Ukraine under a possible future US-brokered peace deal was widely known but that the subject could be discussed.
The New York Times reported that under current US proposals, Ukraine would receive a security guarantee from the West and that a Europe-led military force would assist Ukraine by operating in Western Ukraine away from the front lines.
When asked about the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that he did not want to give a running commentary to the media about the diplomacy, but that Russia's position - opposing any such deployment - was clear.
"Our position on foreign military contingents on the territory of Ukraine is well known," Peskov told reporters. "It is well-known, it is absolutely consistent and understandable. But again, this is a subject for discussion."
Peskov said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff was not expected to visit Moscow this week. Russia expects the US to inform Moscow about the results of the talks with Ukraine as soon as it is ready, Peskov said.
