Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff issued a forceful rebuttal to a report by Politico, which claimed that the Trump administration is evaluating whether to remove sanctions on Russia. The pair blasted the article as completely fabricated.
“This is false,” Rubio and Witkoff said in a joint statement. “Neither of us have had any conversations about lifting sanctions on Russia as part of a peace deal with Ukraine. This is just totally fictitious and irresponsible reporting from Politico, a fifth-rate publication. If they have an ounce of journalistic integrity they will fully retract this piece of fiction.”
According to Politico, unnamed sources suggested that Witkoff had been the central figure advocating for the removal of sanctions, specifically regarding Russia’s Nord Stream 2 energy project and other sanctioned assets. The report attributed this claim to “five people familiar with the discussions.”
The article alleged that Witkoff instructed his staff to compile a comprehensive list of U.S. sanctions against Russian energy interests. The piece asserted:“White House special envoy Steve Witkoff has been the main proponent of lifting sanctions, people familiar with the talks told POLITICO. Witkoff, who has said he has developed a friendship with Putin in his role as Trump’s envoy to Moscow, has directed his team to draw up a list of all of the energy sanctions that the United States has placed on Russia as part of the effort, two people familiar with the matter said.”
Nord Stream 2, the pipeline system built to transport natural gas beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany, partially survived a major explosion in 2022, which damaged one of its two lines and its companion Nord Stream 1. The cause of the blast, which stopped gas flows, is still being investigated, though some reports suggest involvement by Ukrainian individuals.
The Politico piece also asserted that Witkoff floated the concept of easing sanctions, though the idea has not gained significant support within the administration. Rubio was portrayed as a key figure resisting such a move:
“A second person said that while Witkoff has raised the idea of lifting energy-related sanctions, the idea so far has not found much traction in the White House and that Rubio has tried to derail it. ‘This is not a cake in the oven being baked, though the ingredients are being assembled,’ this person said.”
This article emerged amid reminders of the Trump administration’s earlier moves to counter Russia’s energy ambitions. In 2019, BBC News reported that Trump signed legislation penalizing any firm aiding the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
By contrast, Breitbart News highlighted that in May 2021, Joe Biden defended a decision to lift sanctions, thereby permitting work on Nord Stream 2 to resume.
However, in February 2022, the Biden administration reversed course and reinstated sanctions targeting the project, coinciding with Germany’s suspension of the pipeline’s certification, as Axios reported.
{Matzav.com}