US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said that his country's further sanctions against Russia depend on talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Besant, who participated in negotiations with Russian officials along with President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the head of state's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday, said he would consider new sanctions against Russia's shadowy navy - a step that Trump has not taken since he returned to office in January last year.
„I will consider it. "We'll see where the peace talks go," Besant told a Senate hearing. He added that the Trump administration's US sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil had helped bring Russia to the negotiating table.
When asked what role Kushner plays in the talks with Russia, Besant said he saw President Trump's son-in-law as "a special envoy and interlocutor in the talks." Democratic Senator Andy Kim said that the participation of members of the Trump family without official positions could create a conflict of interest“.
US President Donald Trump called for a new agreement to limit nuclear arsenals after the New START treaty (New Strategic Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty) expired yesterday, DPA reported.
“Instead of expanding New START - a poorly negotiated agreement by the US, which, among other things, has been grossly violated – "Our nuclear experts must work on a new, improved, and modernized agreement that will last long into the future," Trump said on his social media account, "Truth Social."
New START was negotiated between the United States and Russia in 2010 and took effect a year later.
In his post, Trump did not specify which countries should participate in the new treaty, but White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told reporters that discussions with Russia would continue.
In earlier statements, Trump has indicated that he is not concerned about the expiration of New START.
"We will make a better deal," he told the New York Times in January, insisting that China, which the publication says has the world's fastest-growing nuclear arsenal, should be included. future agreement. "You'll probably want to bring in a few other players," Trump told the newspaper.
New START limits the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 for each country and the number of deployed missiles and bombers to 700.
In response to a question, Levitt said that as far as she was aware, "there is no transitional agreement with Russia to extend New START."
White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt told reporters tonight that President Donald Trump was looking forward to the U.S.-Iran talks in Oman to determine whether a deal with the Islamic Republic is possible amid the buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
“While these talks are ongoing, I would remind the Iranian regime that the president has many options available to him beyond diplomacy as commander-in-chief of the "the most powerful military in the history of the world," Levitt said.
"Diplomacy is always the first option for the president when it comes to dealing with countries around the world, whether they are our allies or our adversaries," she added, echoing Trump's position that "zero nuclear capability is something he has been very explicit about" in his demands for Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left for Oman last night. His ministry said Tehran was seeking a fair, mutually acceptable and dignified understanding on the nuclear issue. They expressed hope that “the American side will also participate in this process with responsibility, realism and seriousness“.
Meanwhile, DPA reported, citing a senior American official, that White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will represent the US in Oman. The exact agenda of the talks remains unknown. According to Iran's Foreign Ministry, Tehran is seeking to limit the negotiations to the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and sanctions against it. Washington would like to add other topics, including Tehran's missile program and its support for allies in the region.
The talks will begin at 10:00 (local time – 8:00 Bulgarian time) in Muscat.
The White House on Monday rejected Cuba's claims that negotiations with the United States would only be on an equal footing, with US administration spokeswoman Caroline Levitt saying that the diplomatic process with the island nation was ongoing, Reuters reported.
“I think that given that the Cuban government is on its last legs and the country is on the verge of collapse, they need to be wiser in their statements directed at the US president“, Levitt said, commenting on recent statements by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel.
“President Donald Trump is always ready for diplomacy and I believe something similar is happening with the Cuban government“, Levitt added.
The Trump administration has launched “Trump R” (TrumpRx) - a website that she says will help patients buy prescription drugs directly at a reduced price at a time when health care and household expenses are increasingly worrying Americans, the Associated Press reported.
“You're going to save a fortune,“ President Donald Trump said at an event to launch the site. “It (the website) is also very good for health care in general,“ he added.
The government-run website is not a platform for buying drugs. Instead, it is designed as an intermediary, directing Americans to drug manufacturers' websites for direct purchases. It also provides coupons to use at pharmacies. The site launched with more than 40 medications, including weight loss pills.
The site is part of the Trump administration's effort to show it is tackling high prices, which have emerged as a political vulnerability for the president and his Republican allies ahead of November's midterm elections as Americans remain concerned about the cost of housing, groceries and utilities.
Trump has stressed that the lower prices were made possible by his pressure on drug companies, saying he has asked them to charge the same prices in the United States as they do in other countries. At the same time, he noted that prescription drug prices will increase abroad as a result.
“We're tired of subsidizing the world,“ Trump said at the White House event.
The president first hinted at “Trump R” in September. In December, he said the website would provide “huge discounts for all consumers” -although it is unclear whether the prices available on drugmakers' websites would be lower than what many consumers could get through their health insurance.
The AP notes that many of the details of Trump's deals with manufacturers remain unclear, and drug prices for U.S. patients could depend on many factors.