The Trump administration has delivered its starkest message to Moscow yet: “Stop the killing” or face escalating economic consequences. This warning came as the Treasury Department sanctioned Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a statement announcing the penalties, called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine. He warned that the Treasury “is prepared to take further action if necessary” to support President Trump’s efforts to end the war.
The sanctions target the main revenue source for the Russian military. They are the first major sanctions of the new Trump administration and signal a hardening stance against Vladimir Putin, who is accused of “refusal to end this senseless war.”
This new pressure comes after a period of policy fluctuation. The administration has swung between pressuring Ukraine to make concessions and confronting the Kremlin. This move, combined with Trump’s cancellation of a Putin summit, suggests frustration with Moscow is now guiding policy.
The US is now more in step with the UK, which had already sanctioned both firms. The EU has also sanctioned Rosneft and is preparing new measures to ban Russian LNG and target the “shadow fleet” of tankers used to evade existing oil caps.
