In a decisive move to push Russian President Vladimir Putin towards peace talks, President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled new “massive sanctions” targeting Russia’s oil sector on Wednesday, a key revenue source sustaining Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The measures focus on 2 of Russia’s largest oil corporations, Rosneft and Lukoil, responding to months of appeals from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and growing bipartisan calls in Washington to tighten the economic noose on Moscow.
Trump said of Putin, “Hopefully he’ll become reasonable,” shortly after the Treasury Department revealed the sanctions on the oil giants and their subsidiaries. “And hopefully Zelenskyy will be reasonable, too. You know, it takes two to tango, as they say.”
The announcement coincided with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s visit to Washington for talks with Trump. The alliance has been coordinating military support for Ukraine, including weapons supplied by the US and purchased by Canada and European nations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the sanctions as a response to Russia’s “senseless war,” aiming to strangle “the Kremlin’s war machine.” He added further measures could follow if necessary. “We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.”
The announcement came amid a wave of Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine, which left at least 6 people dead, including a mother and her 2 daughters.
The strikes, which occurred from Tuesday night into Wednesday, hit at least 8 cities and a village near Kyiv, where a missile set fire to a home housing a mother and her 6-month-old and 12-year-old daughters, regional official Mykola Kalashnyk reported.
Authorities said at least 29 people, including 5 children, were injured in Kyiv, which appeared to be the main target of the assaults.
During his Oval Office meeting, Rutte highlighted the importance of US-supplied weapons to Europe in helping Ukraine defend itself, noting their role in preventing attacks like the one that devastated the kindergarten.
