Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are pushing back against a report claiming they have been discussing lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets. (Getty Images; Fox News)
The Politico report claimed Rubio has tried to derail the efforts, saying there is an ongoing rift between U.S. energy export proponents and those who want to improve ties with Russia.
When reached for comment, a Politico spokesperson said the outlet stands by its reporting.
"There isn't even a kernel of truth to this story - Politico was played by their ‘sources’ yet again," Witkoff said in a separate statement posted by his X account after the report was published. "It's embarrassing that they print this type of fake crap."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Getty Images)
Sanctions on Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline were established during the first Trump administration and waived by President Joe Biden a few months after he entered office. However, Biden reinstituted the sanctions after Russia's decision to enter into war with Ukraine.
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The energy sector has played a central role in the ongoing negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. has reportedly proposed taking control of Ukraine's nuclear power plants and is pushing to ink a critical minerals deal to help repay America's military assistance. The U.S. has also reportedly floated the idea of taking over Ukrainian natural gas pipelines to help with the repayment.
Russia and Ukraine recently ended a U.S.-brokered temporary truce, agreeing not to attack each other's energy infrastructure, earlier this month.
But the negotiations reached a critical point after Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. is prepared to walk away from further ceasefire negotiations if the two sides do not strike a deal. Vance's remarks were followed up by a post on Truth Social by the president, who blasted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to accept the annexation of Crimea as part of a peace deal.
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"We are very close to a Deal, but the man with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE," Trump said of Zelenskyy in his post.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on this story but did not receive a response in time for publication.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-world-fires-back-politico-over-report-white-house-thinking-about-lifting-sanctions-russian-assets