Our investigation confirms it: Trump opens the gates for Putin’s banks - a break with the West

Washington - Our investigation has now definitively confirmed it: The Trump administration has eased key sanctions against Russian banks, including Gazprombank, Sberbank, and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. The mechanism is an inconspicuous but highly explosive document: General License No. 115B, issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the authority of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This license allows American and international companies to resume business with 13 major Russian banks despite existing sanctions - provided these transactions serve the area of civilian nuclear energy.

What sounds technical is politically explosive. The affected institutions stand not only for the Kremlin's economic stability but also for its geopolitical ambitions. Among the newly permitted partners are banks that, according to Western intelligence agencies, have been involved in financing Russia’s war efforts - including those that issued war bonds to fund the war in Ukraine. That Trump is now granting these actors renewed access to international financial systems marks a dramatic reversal in the United States' Russia policy - and sends a devastating message to European allies. Officially, the Treasury Department argues that the measure is about ensuring the continuation of civilian nuclear projects, such as reactor maintenance and nuclear safety. But the regulation permits wide-ranging transactions with institutions that are anything but neutral. Critics warn that a new pro-Russian axis is being established under the guise of technical necessity - bypassing Congress, NATO, and any moral accountability. Particularly notable: The license applies retroactively to projects begun before November 21, 2024 - a loophole that, according to several energy law experts, is deliberately broad.

So how should this decision be judged? A president who only months ago spoke of total deterrence is now clearing the path for financial relations with Putin’s financial architecture. And this comes amid an ongoing war of aggression, while new atrocities in the Donbas are reported daily. Trump’s earlier pledges to support Ukraine now appear to have been mere lip service. Instead, he is systematically reopening the channels through which Russia expands its power and influence across the globe. The question remains: Can this administration still be trusted - and can this presidency still claim any moral integrity? The breach with its own sanctions policy, the quiet alignment with the Kremlin, the dismantling of principles once considered untouchable - all of this speaks volumes. Trump’s credibility on Russia policy is no longer in question. It is broken - signed by his own Treasury Department.