Trump has extended U.S. sanctions against Russia for another year.

"The actions and policies mentioned in these decrees continue to pose an extraordinary and exceptional threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Therefore, the state of emergency in the country <…> must remain in effect beyond March 6, 2025," the document states.

This refers to the state of emergency that the U.S. declared regarding Ukraine on March 6, 2014, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to address the threats to national security and foreign policy posed by the actions and policies of individuals undermining democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine, threatening its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as facilitating the unlawful appropriation of its assets.

Trump made this decision amid the first high-level negotiations between U.S. and Russian officials since the war began. At a meeting in Riyadh on February 18, the Russian delegation requested U.S. representatives to assist in unblocking frozen Russian assets abroad and easing sanctions, reported The Moscow Times, citing a source in diplomatic circles familiar with the negotiations. The total amount of Russian assets frozen globally due to sanctions is approximately $300 billion. The American side has not provided any comments on this matter.

The parties agreed to restore the number of embassies and establish a working group for conflict resolution. However, the issue of sanctions and territorial matters were reportedly not discussed during the meeting, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. One of the topics of negotiation was the possibility of a peace agreement with Ukraine. Notably, neither representatives from Ukraine nor diplomats from European countries were invited to the meeting, which drew criticism from the EU and the Ukrainian government.