The White House scrambled to get a message to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia last year after U.S. intelligence agencies said a Russian military unit was preparing to send explosive packages on cargo planes.

Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden's team delivered a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to Russian intelligence's suspected plans to smuggle incendiary devices onto U.S.-bound cargo planes,

Joe Biden has warned Vladimir Putin about planned Russian sabotage actions on transatlantic routes, reports the "New York Times". According to the newspaper, Russian operatives planned to place self-igniting courier packages on board planes flying to the USA and Canada.

Sweeping U.S. sanctions on Russia's oil industry will make it more expensive for Moscow to sell its oil and complicate sea-borne crude exports due to restrictions on tankers, analysts and traders said on Monday.

U.S. and global benchmark crude-oil prices settled Monday at their highest since August as investors focused on the potential supply hit from further tightening of U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil sector.