US and European officials meet to discuss new sanctions on Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. and European officials met at U.S. Treasury Department on Monday evening to discuss various forms of economic pressure to exert on Russia, including new sanctions and tariffs on Russian oil purchases, a person familiar with the meeting told The Associated Press.

The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the meeting, said U.S. officials emphasized to their European counterparts that President Donald Trump is willing to exert significant actions to end the war but expects full cooperation from European partners in whatever actions are taken.

The meeting, which lasted less than two hours, highlighted tariff actions, the need for collective action on whatever is determined on sanctions, and how to manage Russian sovereign assets that are still immobilized largely in Europe, among other issues.

Officials with the White House, State Department and U.S. Trade Representative participated in Monday’s meetings. The European team includes staff focused on energy, sanctions, financial services and trade.

The officials are set to meet again Tuesday.

The meeting comes as Trump has tried to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for direct talks aimed at ending the 3 1/2-year war. Trump held a summit with the Russian leader last month in Alaska.

It also comes after a Trump-imposed deadline, set in August, for the Kremlin to end its invasion has since passed.

Trump said Sunday that he expected to speak with Putin in the next couple days and acknowledged that the conflict had proved harder to resolve than he anticipated.

“I believe we’re going to get it settled,” Trump told reporters. “I have confidence we’re going to get it done.”