Trump Sanctions Russian Oil Companies

The Trump administration sanctioned Russia’s two biggest oil companies Wednesday, taking such a move against Moscow for the first time in a marked shift in its approach to ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The U.S. blacklisted Rosneft and Lukoil and issued other sanctions because Russia has failed to commit seriously to the peace process, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. He urged Russia to “stop the killing” and called for an immediate ceasefire.

Trump also seemed to rule out the possibility of providing long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia, asserting that the weapons are “highly complex” and require as much as a year of “intense” training. “We know how to use it, but we’re not going to be teaching other people,” Trump said. “It’s too far out into the future.”

The new U.S. sanctions, however, are still a significant reversal. The Trump administration until now hadn’t yet updated the sanctions put in place under the Biden administration or issued new ones on Russia.

Trump called on Russia to accept a ceasefire proposal that would freeze the conflict along the current battlelines, which Zelenskyy expressed support for earlier this week. “We would like to see them just take the line that has been formed … and go home,” Trump said. “It’s time to make a deal. People are dying.”

In another sign of Washington’s increased pressure on Moscow, the Trump administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S. targeting data to launch long-range British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles against Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter. The change came after the approval authority for these strikes was moved from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who commands NATO and U.S. European Command. The move was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.