Two senior Democratic US senators are demanding answers from the Trump administration over a 17-month pause in routine sanctions targeting companies, banks and other entities helping Russia evade restrictions imposed over its war against Ukraine.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Christopher Coons sent a letter Wednesday, Aug. 12, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent questioning why the administration has not resumed regular counter-evasion sanctions despite stalled efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war.
The senators said Washington imposed 111 separate rounds of sanctions on Russia between Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 and January 2025, when President Donald Trump returned to office.
Since then, they argue, the administration has effectively halted the regular use of targeted sanctions designed to close loopholes, disrupt sanctions-evasion networks and increase pressure on Moscow.
The most significant exception came in October 2025, when the Treasury Department sanctioned Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
Warren and Coons described those measures as an isolated action rather than a return to sustained sanctions enforcement, arguing that Russia continues to find ways around existing restrictions.
A Treasury Department spokesperson said the administration would continue acting in the interests of US national security and toward achieving a peaceful resolution of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The State Department said it does not preview potential sanctions actions.
Senators challenge peace-talk rationale
The lawmakers focused particular attention on the administration’s stated justification for slowing new sanctions.
Their letter cited Bessent telling Congress in February that the administration wanted to “see where the peace talks go” before resuming some counter-evasion measures against Russia.
Warren and Coons noted that Washington continued imposing sanctions on Iran and Cuba even while conducting talks with those governments.
They also pointed to Rubio’s acknowledgment in May that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine had failed to produce meaningful progress and that no active peace talks were taking place at the time.
The senators therefore asked why Washington had not restored routine sanctions pressure once the diplomatic track stalled.
“If the administration paused regular Russia sanctions because of peace talks, and those talks stalled months ago, why hasn’t the Administration resumed routine and frequent US sanctions to rebuild leverage for a just peace in Ukraine?” the senators asked.
They gave Rubio and Bessent until Aug. 28 to respond.
The dispute comes as Congress considers broader measures intended to raise the economic cost of Russia’s war.
The Senate passed new Russia sanctions legislation earlier this month.