Easter may mark new phase in U.S.-Russia relations — one not built on compliments, says political scientist

He discussed this live on Espreso TV.

"Right now, we're hearing from various sources in the U.S. that they're exploring alternative ways to negotiate with Putin — specifically by targeting Russian assets. Kellogg also spoke about this today, mentioning that there are $300 billion in Russian assets worldwide that need to be dealt with. They're also likely to take action against oil exports. According to Kellogg — pay attention to this — Russian oil is being shipped through the Baltic Sea under the radar, through shadow exports, even though NATO countries control that area. So now, they're thinking about how to put pressure on Putin in a different way," Taran explained.

Serhiy Taran also noted that while it’s only hinted at, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is discussing the possibility that a new stage in U.S.-Russian relations could begin after Easter.

"And of course, everyone already knows about this — a bill has been introduced in the Senate that would impose a 500% tariff on any country buying oil or uranium from Russia. To put it bluntly, this means that any country purchasing Russian oil would essentially be cut off from doing business with the U.S. And obviously, no country — especially not India — will take that risk. So again, at the level of hints, I emphasize, this is far from an official Trump decision. Trump still hopes, deep down, that he can strike a deal with Putin because he believes in his negotiation skills. But even so, Trump is suggesting that Easter could mark the start of a new stage in U.S.-Russian relations — one that won’t be built on compliments to Putin but on real action. Well, we all hope for that," the political scientist said.

• American leader Donald Trump was “very angry” and “pissed off” when Russian leader Vladimir Putin questioned the authority of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the U.S. president, such statements are “not going in the right location.”
• On March 31, Trump said he was "displeased" with the statements of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.
• The same day, Donald Trump announced his upcoming trips to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, which will take place in the near future.
• On April 1, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump was disappointed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Fox News reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is disappointed with the actions of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and believes that he is stalling for time in negotiating a full ceasefire in Ukraine.