White House orders plan for possible sanctions relief for Russia — Reuters

The U.S. is working on a plan that would ease sanctions against Russia, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a U.S. official and another source.

The White House has asked the State Department and the Treasury Department to make a list of sanctions that could be lifted so that U.S. officials could discuss them with Russian representatives as part of talks to improve relations, the agency reported.

According to the sources, U.S. sanctions offices are drafting a proposal that would lift restrictions from specific organizations and individuals, including some Russian businessmen. The sources also noted that the Trump administration asked the State and Treasury departments to draft a sanctions relief plan before the president extended sanctions against Russia for an additional year last week. Lifting some sanctions would require approval from Congress, a former Treasury Department official told Reuters.