The pendulum of the Trump administration’s Ukraine policy has swung from coercing Kyiv to sue for peace to sanctioning Moscow. The US has now targeted Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
This shift marks the first major sanctions against Russia since Trump returned to the White House. It reflects a growing frustration with Vladimir Putin’s “maximalist demands” and “refusal to end this senseless war.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the sanctions, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and warning of “further action if necessary” to support Trump’s efforts to end the war.
In a related move, President Trump cancelled a planned summit with Putin. “I cancelled it,” he said in the Oval Office. “It didn’t feel right to me.”
The decision was hailed as a victory by Ukraine and European allies. The EU’s Ursula von der Leyen praised the “clear signal” of “collective pressure,” as the EU readies its own 19th sanctions package.
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