US imposes new sanctions on Russia ahead of Putin-Trump summit

The Washington administration has announced a new package of restrictive measures against Russia just one day before the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has added Russian citizens Pavel Karavatskiy, Aleksandr Mira Serdu, and Sergey Mendeleyev to its list of individuals completely isolated from the American financial system.

These individuals are accused of being connected to the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex, which, according to American officials, played a role in circumventing sanctions.

The sanctions list also includes the Russian cryptocurrency companies Indefi, Grinex, Exve, and the Bishkek-based firm Old Vector.

According to the US Treasury Department, all of these entities are linked to businessman Sergey Mendeleyev and his A7 brand group of companies.

Summit to be held in Alaska

The meeting between Putin and Trump is scheduled to take place on August 15 at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska.

Before the meeting, Trump warned that there would be “very serious consequences” if Moscow does not accept a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, he also stated that a trilateral summit involving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could be held if the talks are successful.

The Guardian: Moscow’s demands at the table

Sources in Moscow speaking to The Guardian newspaper reported that Putin plans to demand the transfer of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to Russian control and for the US to recognize this.

According to the sources, Putin does not intend to relinquish his claims on the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts but is considering the possibility of symbolically transferring small territories in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, currently held by Russian troops, to Kyiv.

The newspaper’s sources stated that no concrete progress should be expected from the talks, but Putin will attempt to persuade Trump to adopt a more favorable stance toward Moscow.