Shift in DOJ focus: Kleptocapture ends, drug cartels targeted
Reuters reports that prosecutors from Task Force KleptoCapture, a U.S. Department of Justice unit targeting Russian oligarchs, will return to their previous positions. The White House aims to focus more on combating drug cartels.
The Biden administration established the Task Force KleptoCapture to deter Russian oligarchs from evading sanctions as part of a pressure strategy on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
"The task force brought indictments against aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska and TV tycoon Konstantin Malofeyev for alleged sanctions busting, and seized yachts belonging to sanctioned oligarchs Suleiman Kerimov and Viktor Vekselberg," Reuters notes.
Under the Trump administration, there was a shift in priorities, explicitly directing the U.S. Department of Justice to concentrate on drug cartels.
"Cases investigated by the task force are likely to continue, but the work will no longer be centralized at Justice Department headquarters," Reuters reports. "Prosecutors assigned to the task force will return to their previous posts. The changes will be in effect for at least 90 days and could be renewed or made permanent, according to the directive," the agency adds.
Thaw in Washington-Moscow relations
After the U.S.'s power change, relations between Washington and Moscow grew warmer. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had previously expressed interest in meeting. Reuters reported that the President of the United States wants to address the end of Russia's war with Ukraine, fulfilling a campaign promise.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN that the Kremlin and the White House have not yet begun talks about a possible meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the State Duma (the lower house of the Russian parliament), was quoted by the RIA Novosti agency as saying that Trump and Putin may meet in February or March and that preparations for the U.S.-Russia summit are at an "advanced stage."
