Close allies of Vladimir Putin have said Donald Trump is on a “warpath” after the US imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil producers that fund the despot’s military.
The US President had for weeks signalled he could impose penalties against Moscow for its continuation of the war, but had failed to take major punitive measures.
But on Wednesday (October 22), the White House issued the sanctions after Trump said he’d “cancelled” an anticipated meeting with Putin in Budapest.
The US leader said it was because he “didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get.” Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said: “I just felt it was time.”
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Trump said he hoped Putin “will become reasonable” as a result of the measures, but also issued a warning to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying “it takes two to tango”. He called for an immediate ceasefire.
But today (October 23), the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, declared that the States is now Russia’s “adversary” and that self styled “peacemaker” Trump had “fully embarked on the warpath against Russia.”
In a blistering outburst on Telegram, Dmitry Medvedev fumed: “If any of the numerous commentators still had any illusions, here they are. The United States is our adversary, and their talkative ‘peacemaker’ has now fully embarked on the warpath against Russia.
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“Yes, he doesn’t always actively fight on the side of Bandera’s Kyiv, but this is his conflict now, not the senile Biden’s! They will, of course, say he couldn’t help but be pressured in Congress, etc. This doesn’t change the main point: the decisions taken are an act of war against Russia. And now Trump has fully aligned himself with insane Europe.”
The Kremlin heavyweight went further, insisting Russia’s “route to victory” is to destroy Ukraine rather than enter what he called “meaningless deals.” His fiery comments came as Russia’s foreign ministry branded the sanctions “counterproductive” to peace efforts and warned Washington that following the “example of previous administrations… will be a failure.”
The diplomatic tirade follows Trump’s dramatic decision to sanction Rosneft and Lukoil, the country’s largest oil producers, in what officials in Washington have called a major policy shift. The measures target dozens of subsidiaries linked to the two state-backed energy giants – companies that together export more than 3.1 million barrels of oil a day and bankroll much of Putin’s war machine.
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The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control described Rosneft as “a vertically integrated energy company specialising in the exploration, extraction, production, refining, transport and sale of petroleum, natural gas and petroleum products.” Lukoil, it added, “engages in the exploration, production, refining, marketing and distribution of oil and gas in Russia and internationally.”
Explaining the decision, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Russia’s “lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine” left Washington with no choice.
The move drew immediate praise from Kyiv. Ukraine’s president hailed the sanctions as “a clear signal that prolonging the war and spreading terror come at a cost.” Within hours, the European Union followed suit, approving a fresh round of coordinated sanctions on Moscow’s energy sector in a show of solidarity with Washington.
The move sent oil markets into a frenzy. After hitting a five-month low earlier this week, prices jumped 3.4%, with Brent crude rising to £48.53 a barrel, its highest level in nearly a fortnight. Analysts said the sanctions would likely squeeze global supply and heap further pressure on Russia’s fragile economy.
It is the first major foreign policy confrontation between Trump and the Kremlin since he returned to office, and a stunning reversal from the warm rhetoric that once defined his relationship with Putin.