Russia Reportedly Raised Areas Of Cooperation With The U.S. During The G20. Bessent Said No As Long As The War Continues.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ruled out economic relief for Russia as long as the war in Ukraine continues, according to a new report.

Axios detailed that the interaction took place during the G20 summit in Asheville, North Carolina. There, Bessent met with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov as Moscow attended the meeting for the first time since the war began more than four years ago, invited by Washington despite opposition from European countries.

But that did not mean relations between the countries were amicable. Bessent said there won't be any relief as the conflict continues, and when Siluanov raised potential areas of cooperation, the U.S. official interrupted and said there won't be any progress until the war ends.

There are no signs the war will abate any time soon. On the contrary, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told allies that he could be hanged if he doesn't achieve major goals in the conflict.

"They will hang me," Putin told allies at one point during the war, according to a report by The Economist.

The outlet noted that the assessment plays a significant role in his decision to escalate the war further as Moscow fails to make significant gains in the battlefield.

Elsewhere, The Economist noted that it is not clear what the escalation could look like, but Kyiv expects drone and missile strikes to expand in the winter. Putin could also mobilize hundreds of thousands of additional troops even as life expectancy in the battlefield is less than an hour.

Russia could also escalate tensions with NATO countries, with some expressing concern about the possibility that such a scenario will take place in the near future.

Reuters detailed earlier this month that Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia have made claims of that nature. The former said Moscow is considering the stage attack and the other three warned of acts of sabotage.

"We are not naive, we see the information, we read between the lines and we are doing our homework," Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told the outlet.

"We are increasing the security of our critical infrastructure, we constantly exchange information with our intelligence on what to do next," he added.

The outlet went on to note that Lithuania sent a military unit to back up riot police and secure its liquefied natural gas import terminal, one for oil products, a key power link with Poland and a hydro plant. "We are clearly signaling that, if needed, we will be defending ourselves", Kaunas said.