Russian invasion Negotiations

Putin “surprised” by new US sanctions

Russian President Vladimir Putin was surprised when the US last month imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft, he said during a press conference on Thursday.

The sanctions are some of the most extensive to date and came after a period in which the Trump administration has toned down its hard line against Russia, Reuters reports.

He also commented on the recent peace talks and said that a Ukrainian withdrawal from areas in eastern Ukraine is a requirement for a ceasefire:

– When Ukraine withdraws from the territories they occupy, then the fighting will stop. If they do not withdraw, we will achieve this by military means.

Leak unknown: “There could be 100 million explanations”

Was it a Russian, an American or perhaps a European who leaked the conversation between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov? No one knows, notes the Wall Street Journal.

Russia has launched a theory that a European intelligence service released the material to Bloomberg to sabotage a ceasefire that is in Russia’s favor, while some European sources speculate that it could be a Russian, such as an oligarch, who is profiting from continued war.

Everyone wants to know, says Russia expert Emily Ferris.

– It has been a chaotic few weeks. This only adds to the confusion and lack of clarity, where everything that comes from all countries is distrusted.

The Guardian’s Shaun Walker notes that Bloomberg’s article lacked a byline and date, which may have been a way of not revealing the source. The former CIA chief in Moscow, Daniel Hoffman, says it is really difficult to speculate.

– There could be 100 million different explanations, including that someone on the Russian side tried to damage Witkoff's reputation.