Citing President Vladimir Putin’s “refusal to end this senseless war,” the United States has imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. This move is the Trump administration’s most significant punitive action against the Kremlin to date.
The Treasury Department announced the measures, with Secretary Scott Bessent calling for an “immediate ceasefire” and an end to the “killing” in Ukraine. He warned that Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary.
The sanctions represent a hardening of the US stance. The administration’s policy has previously swung between coercing Kyiv to seek peace and expressing frustration with Moscow. These new penalties, coupled with a canceled Trump-Putin summit, show frustration has taken precedence.
The US action was applauded by European allies. EU President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “clear signal” of “collective pressure,” noting the EU is also adopting its 19th sanctions package.
The new EU measures are expected to ban Russian LNG, blacklist “shadow fleet” oil tankers, and target Russian banks. This coordinated effort aims to strategically squeeze the Russian economy, which is heavily dependent on energy exports.