The United States announced fresh sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies on Wednesday (local time), citing Moscow’s “lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.”
The move comes amid repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him India will “not buy much oil” from Russia.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump shared a statement from the US Department of the Treasury titled ‘Treasury sanctions major Russian oil companies, calls on Moscow to immediately agree to ceasefire’. The sanctions target Open Joint Stock Company Rosneft Oil Company (Rosneft) and Lukoil OAO (Lukoil).
“Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, adding that the US “is prepared to take further action” if required.
This marks the first instance of Trump imposing sanctions on Russia during his second term, as his frustration grows over Moscow’s reluctance to halt the war that nears its fourth year.
The announcement came hours after the European Union approved its 19th sanctions package, including a ban on Russian natural gas imports.
During Diwali celebrations at the White House, Trump claimed that he had spoken to Modi, saying, “He’s not gonna buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do.”
Indian officials have yet to confirm such a conversation, with MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal previously stating he was “not aware” of any such exchange.
