Trump Imposes New Sanctions On Russian Oil Giants In Renewed Push To End Ukraine War

US President Donald Trump has, for the first time in his second term, unveiled a fresh round of sanctions on Russia, striking at two of its largest oil producers in what he described as a renewed attempt to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

The US Treasury Department announced measures against Rosneft and Lukoil, along with several of their subsidiaries, noting that further punitive steps could follow if tensions persist.

Speaking at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump voiced optimism that the conflict could soon reach a resolution.

“These are tremendous sanctions. These are very big against their two big oil companies. And we hope that they won’t be on for long. We hope that the war will be settled,” he stated.

Reflecting on his previous exchanges with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump admitted they had produced little progress.

“Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere. He’s fighting a war. He’s in a war. It’s two very competent sides, and that’s the way war is. You never know with war, but I would say that it’s time to make a deal,” he remarked.

On Tuesday, Trump cancelled his scheduled meeting with Putin in Budapest. He said he did not ‘want to have a wasted meeting’.

The next day, he elaborated that the decision ‘didn’t feel right’.

“We cancelled the meeting with President Putin. It just didn’t feel right to me. It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get. So, I cancelled it, but we’ll do it in the future,” the US President asserted.

The cancellation followed a phone discussion on Monday between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Last week, Trump held a two-and-a-half-hour phone call with Putin and afterwards said that ‘great progress’ had been made in their talks.

The following day, he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House. He described their exchange as ‘very interesting and cordial’.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was very interesting, and cordial, but I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL!”

He further suggested that both leaders should ‘stop where they are’ and ‘declare victory’.

After mediating a truce in Gaza, Trump has shifted his diplomatic energy to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, ramping up his calls for peace.

However, his widely watched summit with Putin in Alaska in August concluded without any breakthrough.

Also Read: Planned Trump–Putin Summit In Budapest Delayed; No New Date Set