Trump’s “Pendulum” Swings to Moscow: Russian Oil Giants Sanctioned

The “pendulum” of the Trump administration’s Russia policy has swung decisively toward Moscow. After a period of pressuring Ukraine to make concessions, the White House has unleashed new sanctions against Russia’s largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
This move indicates a peak in frustration with Vladimir Putin’s “maximalist demands” and his “refusal” to negotiate an end to the war. The sanctions are the first of their kind under the new Trump administration and are aimed squarely at Putin’s war chest.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, announcing the move, called for an “immediate ceasefire” and an end to the “senseless war.” He explicitly stated the sanctions target the oil revenues that “fund the Kremlin’s war machine.”
The new, tougher stance was also reflected in President Trump’s cancellation of a planned summit with Putin. Trump said the meeting “didn’t feel right” and that he saw no path to a successful negotiation at this time.
This pivot was hailed as a victory for Ukraine and its European allies. EU President Ursula von der Leyen praised the “collective pressure” and confirmed the EU is also preparing new measures, including a ban on Russian LNG and targeting sanctions-evading banks.