US sanctions against Russian oil: Washington ready to move further

The United States insists on strict compliance with new sanctions against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

The administration of President Donald Trump plans to consistently comply with sanctions against Russian oil giants in order to force Putin to end the war. This was stated in an interview with Bloomberg by US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker.

The sanctions announced by the US Treasury Department last week were the first large-scale package of financial restrictions against Russia during Trump’s second presidential term. The “blacklist” includes state-owned Rosneft and private Lukoil, key players in the Russian oil and gas sector.

“President Trump holds all the cards in his hands, and this is just one of them that he is playing. There are many more,” Whitaker hinted.

Meanwhile, Lukoil has already begun the procedures for winding down its international activities, including the search for buyers for its foreign assets. According to the assessment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the imposed sanctions could affect 56–57% of Russia’s oil exports.

Also, the day before, USM reported that Ukrainians in Australia had called on the government to close the Russian fuel loophole.