US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant made it clear in an interview with Bloomberg that the easing of sanctions against Russia depends on the progress of the talks. According to him, Washington can either tighten or loosen sanctions depending on Russia’s readiness to negotiate.
"That would be a very accurate description", Besant said, when asked about possible adjustments in either direction. "The president intends to end this conflict as soon as possible."
He said that recent comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that US President Donald Trump was misinformed (specifically about Zelensky’s rating) were "inappropriate" and have complicated US-Ukrainian relations.
According to the minister, Zelensky assured him before the Munich Security Conference that Ukraine would sign the $500 billion agreement to transfer rights to Ukrainian mineral resources, but he did not.
Besant believes the deal will lay the groundwork for Trump's "elegant" plan to end the war.
"The sequence of actions was supposed to be this: bring the Ukrainians closer to the United States through economic ties, convince the Americans, the American public, attract their support," Besant explained in an interview. And then we will tell the Russians to sit down at the negotiating table with a very clear message that if necessary, we will increase sanctions."