The Treasury in a statement said Washington was imposing fresh sanctions on almost 100 critical Russian entities - including Russian banks and companies operating in Russia's energy sector - that were previously sanctioned by the United States. It said the move increases secondary sanctions risk for them.

Trump has said repeatedly he wouldn't have allowed the conflict to start if he had been in office, even though he was president as fighting grew in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv's forces and separatists backed by Moscow.

US President Donald Trump suggests that the war in Ukraine could end in months, not years, with an already existing "solid plan." This was stated by Donald Trump's Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia,

Analysts at ISW based their assessment on a recent interview by the Russian propaganda agency TASS with Fyodor Lukyanov, the scientific director of the Valdai Discussion Club. Lukyanov, who has frequently moderated Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual speeches at Valdai,