Temporary Ceasefire With Ukraine Shouldn't Lead to Russia Sanctions Relief, Senators Say
The U.S. shouldn't ease sanctions on Russia if Moscow accepts a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine, two members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said.
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“They should be maintained,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Export Compliance Daily March 12. “I don’t think sanctions work all that well. Russia’s really good, just like Iran is, at evading the sanction regime, and so I don’t put a lot of weight on sanctions. But I certainly don’t think they should be taken off.”
The committee's ranking member, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said in a Senate floor speech March 11 that she also favors retaining the Russia sanctions to keep pressure on Moscow. The best way to reach a deal to permanently end the war "is to give Ukraine as much leverage as possible," she said.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia following its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Feb. 24 she’s concerned President Donald Trump might ease the sanctions to entice Moscow to end the war (see 2502240037). More recently, however, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have threatened to increase sanctions on Russia if it doesn’t agree to a ceasefire and peace deal (see 2503070035).