US imposes sanctions on «Rosneft» and «Lukoil» for Kremlin's refusal to hold peace talks, — Bessent

The US has imposed sanctions on «Rosneft» and «Lukoil» for the Kremlin's refusal to hold peace talks. Photo: Rueters

The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced a new package of sanctions against two of Russia's largest oil companies — «Rosneft» and «Lukoil».

This was stated by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an interview with Lawrence Kudlow, Fox News reports.

These are the first serious restrictions imposed by Washington in Trump's second term.

According to the US Treasury Department, the restrictions also include most of the subsidiaries of «Rosneft» and «Lukoil», in which the oil companies hold 50% or more of the shares.

According to Scott Bessent, this decision is primarily due to the fact that the Kremlin is unwilling to sit down at the table for peace talks with Ukraine.

«In view of President Putin's refusal to end this meaningless war, the Ministry of Finance is imposing sanctions on the largest oil companies that finance the Kremlin's war machine. The Ministry of Finance is ready to take new steps, if necessary, to support President Trump's efforts to end this war. We call on our allies to join us in adhering to these sanctions», he said.

He also stressed that the sanctions are a signal to the Kremlin that «the time has finally come to stop the killing and to bring about an immediate ceasefire».

The US secretary's statement came shortly after the European Union adopted its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, which includes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas, restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions, and sanctions against 118 vessels of the so-called «shadow fleet» of the Russian Federation.