The US Treasury Department has temporarily waived certain sanctions on Russia to enable the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska. The decision, announced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), permits transactions necessary for the meeting but does not release blocked assets. The waiver remains in effect until August 20, ensuring that the logistical needs of the summit are met without compromising broader sanctions policies.
The upcoming summit is expected to focus on the Ukraine conflict, as well as a broader range of issues related to bilateral US-Russia ties. Washington and Moscow have both been cautious about their expectations, signaling that the meeting is likely to be the first top-level event in a string of talks rather than yield an immediate breakthrough. Trump earlier described the summit with Putin as a “feel-out meeting” that will help him determine whether the Ukraine conflict can be resolved.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Moscow views the meeting as a chance to begin mending strained ties with Washington, expressing hope that it will “give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations.”
}