Washington hawks push for tough sanctions on Russia
In Washington, impatience is growing over the lack of progress in negotiations with Russia, and imposing sanctions on Moscow is just a matter of time, said Glen Howard, president of the Saratoga Foundation think tank, to PAP. He added that "hawks" are gaining influence in the White House, and a drastic economic move is being considered.
Russia was not included in the group of countries subjected to American tariffs, which raised many suspicions in the context of thawing relations between the two countries. According to Glen Howard, president of the Washington-based think tank Saratoga Foundation, Trump is increasingly irritated by Putin's stance, who is "playing for time" regarding the war in Ukraine.
The US is irritated by Russia. Tough sanctions are in play
In response to European politicians' accusations that the US is seeking détente with Russia while turning away from NATO allies, Howard asserted that such a "vision of the Alliance's and the eastern flank's demise" is untrue. He emphasized that these are "hasty conclusions."
The expert said that in the White House, the voice of the "hawks" faction, which advocates for tougher relations with Russia, is growing stronger. Among these "hawks," Howard includes National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. They had been patient so far, waiting to see what negotiations would bring, knowing that President Donald Trump wants to talk with Russia, the expert assessed.
At the beginning of this week, US President Donald Trump escalated the rhetoric towards Russia. On Monday, he told reporters that he does not like that the Russians are "bombing like crazy" in Ukraine. Earlier, on Sunday, March 30, he threatened Russia with new economic sanctions "if the ceasefire agreement in Ukraine is not reached" and "deems that it is Russia's fault."
At this stage, diplomatic efforts are still in progress, and Trump’s approach involves presenting himself to the Russians as a neutral party who seeks to bring the conflict to an end, viewing the war as futile and expressing no preference between Ukraine and Russia. Nevertheless, the president of the Washington-based think tank pointed out that these negotiations will not continue indefinitely.
Is the US playing for cheap oil?
Howard believes that Washington may have set a goal to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine by Easter. If the Russians cannot be convinced to end the war, in Howard's opinion, Washington will use tough economic sanctions and supply Ukraine with more weapons. For example, they will lift restrictions from the Joe Biden administration regarding the number of Ukrainian F-16 pilots trained in the US. The Russian "shadow fleet" in the Baltic, which bypasses sanctions to ensure the Kremlin's continuous export of Russian resources, will also be in the American crosshairs.
According to Howard, the administration aims to bring the price of oil down to under $45 per barrel, believing that such a significant decrease would compel Russia to halt its war in Ukraine. This strategy explains why Washington has positioned Saudi Arabia as a crucial ally.
As emphasized by the American expert, the Trump administration is also enforcing existing sanctions imposed on Russia by President Biden, which "were porous." He emphasized that since the Trump administration tightened current sanctions, India has stopped buying oil from Russia.
Howard also reminded that despite the Kremlin's demands during talks about a ceasefire in the Black Sea, the US did not lift sanctions imposed on certain Russian financial institutions, including the state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank. He assured that Americans will not be "led by the nose," as evidenced by the promise to supply Ukraine with new Patriot systems following the Russian attack on a playground in Kryvyi Rih, which resulted in the deaths of nine children among others.
Howard argued that Washington conveyed devastating sanctions to the Russians by conveying this to Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev. Dmitriev was supposed to witness the US's economic might and how Trump uses tariffs to punish the rest of the world, Howard assessed. If anyone were to understand what "tougher sanctions" would be, it is Dmitriev. Howard concluded that Trump managed to paint a dramatic picture for him.
