US floats sanctions relief for Russia in push to freeze conflict, says time running out

The US has reportedly offered allies the option of easing sanctions on Russia, in a move aimed at bringing about a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

According to a Bloomberg report, the renewed push to end the war comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted on Friday that the Trump administration was prepared to “move on” from its peace efforts unless progress is made, owing to the financial strain that the conflict had on America. US Vice President J.D. Vance, on the other hand, said in Rome on the same day that he was “optimistic” about the possibility of bringing the conflict to a close. 

These matters were discussed in detail during high-level meetings in Paris on Thursday, according to European officials familiar with the matter.

According to a report by Economic Times, the proposal would effectively freeze the war, with Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory remaining as such. Ukraine would also be prevented from joining NATO, one of the key issues that led to the 2014 conflict escalating in 2022. The officials declined to provide further specifics, citing the confidential nature of the discussions.  

“We’re not going to drag this out for weeks or months. We need to decide quickly, within days, whether a deal is achievable in the coming weeks. If it is, we’re committed. If not, we’ll shift our focus to other priorities,” Rubio had said, during the talks in Paris. 

These talks also included a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and US envoy Steve Witkoff. Marco Rubio also held discussions with national security advisors and negotiators from France, Germany, the UK and Ukraine. However, he also clarified that Ukraine would have “a right to defend itself and to enter into whatever agreements it wants to enter into on a bilateral basis with different countries”.

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