Moscow [Russia], October 24: As the search for a peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine remains deadlocked, the US has imposed the first round of sanctions against Russia during President Donald Trump's second term, drawing a strong response from Moscow.
Speaking at the European Union (EU) Summit in Brussels (Belgium) on October 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the US and EU for new sanctions against Russia 's energy sector , stressing that it was very important. According to Reuters, Mr. Zelensky said that Ukraine and Russia could reach a ceasefire if the West increased pressure on Moscow.
US and EU embargo
Earlier, US President Donald Trump suddenly announced the cancellation of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because he believed that the two sides could not achieve their desired goals. "We canceled the meeting with President Putin. I don't feel well. I feel like we won't achieve the necessary goals. So I canceled the meeting," Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House when meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on October 22 (US time), according to Fox News Channel.
On the same day, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions against Russia's two largest oil companies, after accusing Russia of being "dishonest and not straightforward" in negotiations on Ukraine. According to AFP, all assets of Rosneft and Lukoil in the US were frozen and US companies and individuals were banned from doing business with the two companies. Washington also threatened to impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions that do business with Rosneft and Lukoil, which could include banks that support Russian oil sales in China, India and Türkiye.
In addition, the EU announced on October 22 that it would impose a 19th package of sanctions on Russia. This package includes a ban on imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia by 2027, blacklisting tankers used by Moscow and travel restrictions on Russian diplomats, according to AFP.
Russia reacted strongly
President Trump's latest move has caused a strong reaction from Dmitry Medvedev, the Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council. Reuters quoted Mr. Medvedev as accusing Mr. Trump of "entirely siding with Europe" and the above decisions "are acts of war" against Russia. Regarding the EU's move, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on October 23 that the sanctions will actually harm the EU itself, and EU leaders "simply cannot accept the fact that their sanctions are ineffective."
Commenting on the new US sanctions, Kimberly Donovan, an expert at the Center for Geopolitical Economics at the Atlantic Council (USA), predicted that Russian oil profits would be directly and immediately affected. Writing on the Atlantic Council's website, Ms. Donovan noted that the US Treasury Department had also issued a general license "allowing for a gradual reduction of transactions with Rosneft and Lukoil, which will expire on November 21." According to her, this period will give countries that buy large amounts of Russian oil, such as China and India, "time to decide whether they will stop importing Russian oil or face the risk of being imposed by the US secondary sanctions."
Oil prices rose more than 3% on October 23 on concerns that sanctions could disrupt global supplies. Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Indian refiners were preparing to sharply cut oil imports from Russia to ensure compliance with US sanctions.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
