There are disagreements within Trump administration over sanctions against Russia – Pavel Dubravskiy

Speaking with Alpha News, political strategist and head of Dubravskiy Consulting Pavel Dubravskiy commented on the news that US President Donald Trump expressed readiness for a “second phase” of sanctions against Russia.

“I’d like to remind you that they were unable to accept and approve the most recent package of sanctions. Moreover, there are several directions within the Trump administration that have different views on relations and interaction with Russia. One of them is Trump and Vance. Vance believes that it is necessary to get out of this conflict and forget about it in one form or another. Trump believes that, most likely, it is necessary to continue trying to end this conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The United States should, at most, try to put pressure on both sides, and at least, simply get out of it, as Vance believes. But there is another direction—Marco Rubio, the head of the State Department and a person who currently holds several positions. On the contrary, he advocates for sanctions. I will remind you that Rubio has previously pushed for sanctions against Russia and now acts as a ‘hawk’. For example, the policy on Venezuela, which the United States is currently pursuing with respect to this country, is largely his initiative,” Dubravskiy said.

Touching on how this could affect post-Soviet countries, the political scientist noted that much depends on their relations with Russia.

“If they helped and participated in parallel imports, this will affect them. If the banking sector of these countries was connected to the Russian one, for example, providing accounts for Russian citizens, then such banks would be under threat today because they fear secondary sanctions,” Dubravskiy said.

In conclusion, the expert recalled that a bill on secondary sanctions is still pending in the US Senate, which includes a proposed rate of 500%.

“The bill’s sponsor claims to have over 82 votes, which means it could override a presidential veto. This proposal may remain in Trump’s arsenal as a tool against Russia,” he concluded.