Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Politico late Wednesday evening, demanding a retraction of a story centered on Russia and Ukraine. The headline in question read "White House debates lifting sanctions on Russian energy assets, Nord Stream," with a subheading touting conflict between Rubio and administration official Steve Witkoff.
The White House is debating whether to lift sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline and potentially other Russian assets in Europe as part of discussions on ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, five people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO.
Lifting the sanctions currently in place on one of Russia’s main pipelines connecting its natural gas fields to western Europe would be a sharp reversal in the U.S. policy first put in place during President Donald Trump’s first term.President Joe Biden waived those sanctions early in his term, but reimposed them after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In a post on social media, the secretary of state lambasted the report, calling it "unequivocally false" and stating that he hasn't had any conversations with Witkoff about lifting sanctions as part of a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
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This is unequivocally false.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 24, 2025
Neither Steve Witkoff nor I have had any conversations about lifting sanctions against Russia as part of a deal with Ukraine.
This is journalistic malpractice. If @POLITICO has an ounce of integrity they will fully retract this piece of fiction. pic.twitter.com/AoYFz7wWLA
The keyword in Politico's report is "debate." The presence of it would indicate that the White House is actively considering lifting sanctions, but that doesn't appear to be the case. While it's certainly a possibility that Witkoff may be open to the idea, given his more conciliatory approach to Russia and Iran, that doesn't mean there's any actual "debate" happening.
White House special envoy Steve Witkoff has been the main proponent of lifting sanctions, people familiar with the talks told POLITICO. Witkoff, who has said he has developed a friendship with Putin in his role as Trump’s envoy to Moscow, has directed his team to draw up a list of all of the energy sanctions that the United States has placed on Russia as part of the effort, two people familiar with the matter said.
Again, Witkoff asking people to give him information within his office is not a "debate" within the administration (at least not among those who matter). I find it hard to imagine a world in which President Donald Trump or Rubio would sign off on lifting sanctions on Nord Stream 2 (which Joe Biden originally lifted sanctions on), which would allow Europe to be inundated with more Russian oil. That would be in direct conflict with the White House's stated goal of increasing American energy exports to the continent and limiting Europe's dependence on Russian energy. Why would Trump or Rubio even allow that to be part of any deal? That shouldn't even be on the table.
Whatever happens between Russia and Ukraine, America's part in any agreement should serve American interests. It is not in our interests to fill Vladimir Putin's coffers while diminishing our own energy empire. I trust that Rubio knows that and that Politico's framing is indeed false.
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