Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on peace negotiations, President Donald Trump said, “Every time I talk to Vladimir [Putin], the discussions go well, but nothing ever progresses — not at all.
Just a day earlier, Trump had announced that his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest was being postponed indefinitely. The sanctions were announced shortly afterward.
On Wednesday, Russia carried out heavy shelling across Ukraine, killing at least seven people, including children. US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said the new sanctions were necessary due to Putin’s refusal to end what he called a “senseless war.” He added that the oil companies “fund the Kremlin’s war machine.”“The time has come to stop the bloodshed and declare an immediate ceasefire,” Besant said in a statement.
Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Rutte, Trump said Putin was not sincere about peace and expressed hope that the new sanctions would compel Moscow to move forward with negotiations.
“I felt it was time. We’ve waited long enough,” Trump said, describing the sanctions as “extraordinary.” He added that the measures could be lifted quickly if Russia agreed to stop the war.
Rutte praised the decision, saying, “This puts more pressure on Putin. Pressure must be applied, and today the President did just that.”
Trump and Putin last met in August in Alaska to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, but their second meeting has now been postponed. Trump noted that Moscow’s refusal to halt frontline fighting remains the main obstacle.
Last week, the United Kingdom also imposed similar sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil. British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said, “There is no place in the global market for Russian oil.”
In response, the Russian Embassy in London warned that such sanctions would disrupt global energy supplies, drive up prices, and negatively impact energy security in developing nations.
Rosneft and Lukoil together export about 3.1 million barrels of oil per day. Rosneft alone accounts for nearly half of Russia’s total oil production, representing around 6 percent of global output.
Oil and gas remain Russia’s main export sectors, with China, India, and Turkey being key buyers. Trump urged these nations to stop purchasing Russian oil.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the US move “highly commendable and timely.”
