State Department Nominee Pledges to Strictly Enforce Russia Sanctions
The Trump administration has no plans to ease existing sanctions on Russia while it seeks a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a State Department nominee told a Senate panel June 10.
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“My understanding of current U.S. policy is the maintaining of sanctions on Russia while [President Donald Trump] is pursuing active negotiations in the pursuit of a lasting peace in Eastern Europe,” said Jacob Helberg, nominated to be undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment (see 2412110013). “If confirmed, I will absolutely ensure that the sanctions that are currently in place have the highest levels of enforceabilty and will use the sanctions office to coordinate with allies to make sure that sanctions are enforced.”
Helberg’s comments to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee came in response to questioning by Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who said sanctions are “critical to pushing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to the [negotiating] table. Frankly, we haven’t seen the active, ongoing work to prevent sanctions avoidance using shell companies and elsewise.”
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, said in February that she’s concerned Trump might make concessions to Russia on sanctions and export controls in a bid to end the war (see 2502240037). Several Senate Democrats, including Coons and Warren, have called for increasing sanctions on Russia, a move Trump has so far resisted (see 2505070024 and 2505290049).
Helberg also testified that he would seek to expand market access for U.S. energy exports, including oil, liquefied natural gas and nuclear energy. He would encourage India to lessen its reliance on Russian energy, which funds Moscow’s war machine.
Helberg, a former member of the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission, also would work to strengthen U.S. supply chains, such as to counter Chinese export controls on rare earth magnets used in automobiles.
Also at the hearing, Andrew Puzder, Trump’s nominee to be U.S. representative to the EU, said he would seek to increase American exports to the union in such areas as agricultural products, energy, automobiles, machinery and defense equipment. He also would try to reduce regulatory barriers for American companies, especially tech firms.
"The United States should be the EU’s economic partner of choice in every sector," Puzder testified. "The U.S.-EU trade relationship holds immense potential, but, as President Trump has made abundantly clear, this potential can be unleashed only if the EU market is more open to buying American goods and services."