Russia and Ukraine not ready for talks, White House says

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, John Kirby, believes that neither Russia nor Ukraine is ready to negotiate an end to the war.
Kirby rejected claims that the newly imposed US sanctions against Russia were introduced as leverage to facilitate talks for ending the war in Ukraine. “At this time, there is no expectation that either side is prepared for such negotiations,” he emphasized.

Kirby further explained that the decision to impose additional sanctions was based on forecasts related to internal and external energy markets.

On January 10, the United States imposed sanctions on over 30 Russian oil service companies. Restrictions were also placed on a Serbian company associated with Gazprom Neft. In addition, the US State Department sanctioned Alexey Likhachev, the CEO of Rosatom, along with members of the company’s board of directors.

The United Kingdom also introduced sanctions against Russia, aligning with the international effort to apply economic pressure on the aggressor nation.