US Senate introduces bill on sanctions against Russian oil - Ukraine's Ambassador to US
Photo: Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill in the US Senate that would impose sanctions for purchasing or facilitating the import of oil and petroleum products from Russia.
This was stated by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, according to her Facebook post.
In her post, the ambassador specified that the bill, titled the Decreasing Russian Oil Profits Act of 2025, was introduced by US senators Republicans Dave McCormick and Josh Hawley, along with Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Chris Coons.
Stefanishyna wrote that the bill’s authors stressed that purchasing Russian oil finances the war against Ukraine and that any countries, companies, or financial intermediaries facilitating such trade should be aware of the consequences, including the risk of losing access to the US financial system.
She noted that the legislation creates a legal framework for increasing sanctions pressure on Russia’s oil revenues. If adopted, US President Donald Trump would be required within 90 days to impose sanctions on individuals involved in importing oil from Russia.
According to Stefanishyna, the list of sanctioned entities would be compiled by the US Treasury Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of State. She concluded that the initiative once again demonstrates strong bipartisan support for further economic pressure on the aggressor.
Sanctions against Russia
In early November, the United States imposed sanctions on two Russian oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft. As a result, EU countries hosting Lukoil refineries began seeking solutions to prevent disruptions to refinery operations.
In addition, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said that Ukraine had imposed sanctions on nearly 700 tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned Russian oil by circumventing restrictions imposed by the international community.
Moreover, on December 15, the European Council introduced new sanctions against nine individuals and entities that facilitate the operation of Russia’s shadow fleet.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the price of Russian oil had fallen to its lowest level since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid tighter Western sanctions and declining global oil prices.
