U.S. sanctions on Russia come as a welcome surprise to many in Ukraine and those watching the war, but skepticism remains that the new White House steps against Moscow will lead to a peace deal anytime soon.
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced the U.S. would level sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an attempt to pressure Russia into negotiating a peace deal over Ukraine.
“Hopefully he’ll [Russian President Vladimir Putin] become reasonable,” Trump said in comments to the media, speaking alongside NATO's secretary-general, Mark Rutte, in the White House on Wednesday. Russia's Foreign Ministry called the sanctions "counterproductive."
President's Frustration
Trump had become more overtly frustrated with the Kremlin as time has worn on, with Russia refusing to budge on its position and jeopardizing the Republican's pledge to end the war in Eastern Europe.
The president's criticism has often spiked after Russia has launched large-scale aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities. Early on Wednesday, Moscow said it had targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure in the capital Kyiv and elsewhere overnight with drones and missiles, including hypersonic weapons.
Ukrainian authorities said at least seven people had been killed, increasing that death toll by one after Russia attacked a kindergarten in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv. Previously, Trump had largely swerved following through on threats against Moscow, which included sanctions.
"It came as a surprise, it was unexpected," said Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee and a member of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's party. "It's encouraging," he told Newsweek.
"I'm pleasantly surprised," said John Foreman, a former U.K. defense attache to both Moscow and Kyiv. Oleg Dunda, a member of the Ukrainian parliament who is also a part of Zelensky's party, said he had not expected the announcement.
Early on Thursday, Ukrainian lawmakers expressed gratitude to the U.S. for the sanctions at the start of a plenary session in the country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, Merezhko said. Zelensky said in a statement on Thursday that the measures telegraphed a "clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost" and they were a "fair and absolutely deserved step."
The U.K. had last week leveled fresh sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft. The two oil companies, among the world's largest, jointly export 3.1 million oil barrels each day, and Rosneft accounts for 6 percent of global oil production, according to the British government.
Trump Targets Putin's Buyers
Ukraine's allies have largely moved away from a dependence on Russian oil, but it's easier said than done—and Moscow has pivoted away from European markets toward Asia.
China is the largest importer of Russian oil, followed by India. Trump said earlier this month that Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had agreed to stop buying Moscow's oil, roughly six weeks after U.S. tariffs on New Delhi kicked in. The White House said the tariffs were linked tothe country's "direct and indirect" Russian oil consumption.
The European Union on Thursday adopted its 19th sanctions package against Russia, targeting Moscow's energy profits and financial institutions. Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said the sanctions "primarily work against the European Union," adding: "The possibilities of Brussels to expand sanctions regimes against our country have largely been exhausted."
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the economic measures were "a result of Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine," and left the door open to "further action" if needed. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council and a former president, described the sanctions as an "act of war" on Thursday.
But the bans, while a positive step, don't bring a peace deal any closer, Dunda told Newsweek. "I don't think that Putin will respond adequately," added Merezhko.
Trump has also crushed Ukraine's hopes of receiving the long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles Kyiv has long requested. Zelensky, visiting the White House last week, left empty-handed after discussions with Trump and senior figures at Raytheon, the manufacturer of the missiles. The U.S. president had previously suggested the weapons could be on the table.
Russia said it would damage relations with the U.S. if Trump greenlit the weapon transfer, and that it would be an "escalation" of the conflict because Kyiv would need U.S. assistance to use the cruise missiles. The U.S. president said on Wednesday it would likely take a year to teach Ukrainian forces to fire the missiles and "the only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it, and we're not going to do that."
"When he says something like that, of course, it's a disappointment for us, because he himself was dangling this issue," Merezkho said. "It was not a firm promise, but it was a hint that he was leaning towards such a decision."
"With Trump," he added, "you never know."
