On NBC's"Meet The Press," Besant said that US President Donald Trump and Vice President James Davis Vance had a "very productive conversation" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday and that he had also spoken to Leyen.

"We are talking about what both sides - the European Union (EU) and the United States - can do together. And we are ready to increase pressure on Russia," the US Treasury Secretary said.

"But we need our European partners to follow us," he said.

"If the US and the EU can impose greater sanctions, secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will completely collapse. And that will bring President [Vladimir] Putin to the negotiating table," Besent said.