In a sharp pivot, the Trump administration has moved from pressuring Ukraine to targeting Russia directly, imposing new sanctions on oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. The shift is reportedly driven by growing White House frustration with Vladimir Putin’s “maximalist demands.”
This new, harder line is the first major sanctions action against Russia since Trump returned to the White House. The goal, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is to cut off funds for the “Kremlin’s war machine” in response to Putin’s “refusal to end this senseless war.”
The policy shift was also evident in President Trump’s decision to scrap an upcoming summit with Putin. Trump told reporters the meeting “didn’t feel right” and that negotiations were failing, a clear sign of a breakdown in dialogue.
This move was welcomed by European allies, who had worried about the administration’s ambiguous stance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the “collective pressure” from “both sides of the Atlantic.”
The sanctions follow a 25% tariff Trump previously levied on Indian goods, which he called retaliation for India’s purchase of discounted Russian oil. The new measures against Rosneft and Lukoil are a much more direct attack on the Kremlin’s finances.
