United States are ready to increase pressure on Russia, but it is necessary that European partners do the same, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant said in an interview with NBC. This was reported by The New York Times economic policy reporter Alan Rapoport in social networks X .

"We are ready to increase pressure on Russia, but we need our European partners to follow suit," Rapoport quoted Bessent as saying.

As the reporter noted, Bessent believes that further secondary sanctions and tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil will lead the Russian economy to"complete collapse."

The minister also believes that such steps by the US and Europe will force Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to sit at the negotiating table.

Sanctions against the Russian Federation: current news

UNIAN previously reported that US and EU to discuss new sanctions against Russia. According to the Associated Press, Bessent spoke on this topic with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on September 5, and on September 8, a group of European officials in Washington will hold talks on this topic with American officials.

Politico wrote that It is the USA that is capable of"tightening the screws" and impose tough sanctions against Russia. According to the publication, the most painful for Moscow could be secondary sanctions - against companies or countries that do business with Russia. And it is the United States that can actually introduce such measures and make them work.

Meanwhile, it became known that Hungary and Slovakia ask the EU lift sanctions on six Russian oligarchs in exchange for the continuation of other sanctions against Russia. In particular, Slovakia wants to exempt Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from sanctions, and Hungary seeks to remove Dmitry Mazepin, Petr Aven, Musa Bazhaev, and Albert Avdolyan from the list of sanctioned persons.