President Trump lifts sanctions on Russian energy and Nord Stream

President Donald Trump has officially lifted sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline and other Russian energy projects in Europe, restarting a battle that once defined his first term in office. 

The decision came out of closed-door White House discussions aimed at building momentum toward a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, according to Politico. Officials reportedly working on the plan confirmed the talks included direct action on pipeline sanctions and other frozen Russian assets.

The change is massive. It turns back a years-long U.S. policy that first began under Trump himself, was then waived by President Joe Biden in early 2021, and brought back after Vladimir Putin launched a full invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Nord Stream 2, which runs under the Baltic Sea and connects Russian gas fields to Germany, has been dead in the water since a 2022 blast wrecked one of its two pipelines.

Trump’s team drafts sanction removal plans

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy to Moscow, has been pushing the hardest. Officials involved in the discussions say Witkoff ordered his staff to pull together a full list of all energy-related sanctions on Russia.

Witkoff, who claims to be on friendly terms with Putin, wants to drop them all. But the effort hasn’t gone smoothly. While Trump wants the deal done, some of his team aren’t having it. Marco Rubio, Trump’s Secretary of State, said he hasn’t discussed lifting sanctions with anyone.

“This is false. Neither of us have had any conversations about lifting sanctions on Russia as part of a peace deal with Ukraine,” Rubio said in a joint statement with Witkoff. “This is just totally fictitious and irresponsible reporting from POLITICO, a fifth-rate publication. If they have an ounce of journalistic integrity they will fully retract this piece of fiction.”

Despite the public denial, Trump officials were expected to attend peace talks in London last Wednesday but canceled last minute. That meeting was set to include major U.S. proposal