Instead, he threatens to impose tariffs on Russia.

The U.S. Justice Department, acting on orders from President Donald Trump, has dissolved a Biden-era taskforce that had focused on seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs as part of efforts to penalize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The decision to shut down Task Force KleptoCapture is among several policy shifts under the new leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, signaling a different approach to Russia and national security matters.

More to read:
Leaked 100-day Trump peace plan calls for Ukraine territorial loss

The department also eliminated the Foreign Influence Task Force, which was originally created during Trump’s first term to monitor foreign influence operations - particularly from Russia - designed to spread disinformation and undermine democracy. This used to be an effective tool to counter Russian propaganda efforts until now.

Aattorneys assigned to these initiatives were ordered to return to their prior roles while the resources previously allocated to these efforts would be redirected toward “dismantling Cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations,” the new Justice Department head said in a memo.

During his election campaign, Trump had repeatedly promised to swiftly end the war in Ukraine – in 24 hours after taking office – using a stick and carrot approach. Bending Russia toward the negotiation table, in Trump’s opinion, could be done by imposing new taxes and tariffs on Moscow.

More to read:
Anticipated trade wars begin: Trump imposes 10% tariff for adversary but slaps allies with 25% tarif

The president said in a Truth Social post this week, “If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

The United States has already banned the import of almost all Russian products, in addition to heavy sanctions since Russia invaded its neighbor three years ago.

Sources: AP, Bloomberg, Truth Social

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