US mulls how to ease Russia energy sanctions quickly if war ends, sources say

The U.S. government is studying ways it could ease sanctions on Russia's energy sector as part of a broad plan to enable Washington to deliver swift relief if Moscow agrees to end the Ukraine war, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reports.

Russia is among the world's largest oil and gas producers, and the U.S. has sought to starve Russia of the cash it needs for the war effort by targeting the industry with sanctions, and by leading a multilateral effort to cap the price of Russian oil exports to $60 a barrel.

The White House has asked the Treasury Department to explore options for easing energy sanctions ahead of expected talks between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war, the two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

That work would allow Washington to roll back the sanctions quickly in the event of a peace deal, according to the sources, who made clear the effort should not be read as an indication that the U.S. would lift the sanctions without Russian concessions.

Trump says he plans to meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia in coming weeks to negotiate a deal to end the three-year-old Ukraine war, and analysts say relaxing the sanctions represents a likely centerpiece of any agreement.

The Treasury is also looking at what Russia's full return would do to global oil prices and how it could shift trading patterns that have seen European markets shift away from Russian supplies and toward those of the United States.

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