Investing.com-- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday denied reports that the White House was debating lifting sanctions on Russia’s energy industry as part of a Ukraine ceasefire deal.
Rubio called a report from Politico “unequivocally false,” and that neither he, nor Steve Witkoff- U.S. special envoy to the Middle East- had any discussions about lifting sanctions against Russia as part of a deal with Ukraine.
Politico had reported that the White House was debating lifting sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, as well as other energy assets, as part of discussions over a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire.
The sanctions were imposed during Trump’s first term, and were briefly waived by President Joe Biden before being reimposed in 2022 after Russia attacked Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 represents a major moneymaker for Moscow, but has also served as a key point of leverage for the U.S. in negotiating with Russia.
Rubio’s comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy once again clashed over ceasefire efforts, with Trump chiding Zelenskiy for not recognizing Russia’s 2014 occupation of Crimea.
Several other members of the Trump administration also criticized Zelenskiy, while Rubio and Witkoff both canceled plans to attend Russia-Ukraine peace talks in London this week.
Russia launched a barrage of drone and missile strikes against Kyiv this week, with both sides appearing to show few signs that a ceasefire will be reached soon.