Did Trump just lift sanctions on Russia? Ukraine responds
Only one of the three sanction regimes against Russia has been lifted (Getty Images)
By lifting sanctions against Syria, US President Donald Trump removed some Russian companies, banks, and individuals from under certain restrictions. However, they were removed only from the so-called Syrian sanctions regime, according to a post by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an Advisor and Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, and a statement by Member of Ukrainian Parliament Oleksii Honcharenko.
Vlasiuk recalled that the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), in accordance with Trump's executive order dated June 30, 2025, removed a number of Russian entities from the sanctions lists. All of them had been sanctioned for supporting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to Vlasiuk, the following were removed from the sanctions list:
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OTKRYTOE AKTSIONERNOE OBSHCHESTVO MOSKOVSKI AKTSIONERNY BANK TEMPBANK;
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Russian Financial Alliance Bank;
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Hudsotrade Limited;
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Individual – Mikhail Georgievich Gagloev;
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Individual – Issa Al-Zeydi;
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Individual – Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov;
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Individual – Oleksii Makarov.
"As for other Russian companies (Global Vision Group, STG Logistic, Maritime Assistance LLC, MB Bank, Promsyrioimport, Rosoboroneksport OAO, Russian Financial Corporation, etc.), designations in the SDN List were adjusted, but US blocking sanctions against them remain in effect. US sanctions against Russia for the war in Ukraine have not been lifted," Vlasiuk explained.
MP Honcharenko reminded that Rosoboroneksport in particular had been subject to three sanctions regimes – Syrian, Iranian, and Russian (the latter for the invasion of Ukraine). Trump's executive order removed only the Syrian designation; the others remain in force.
"The same applies to other companies. Russian banks also remain blocked. The [SYRIA] designation was removed from the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals & Blocked Persons List) and the SSI (Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List), but the [RUSSIA] and [IRAN] tags were not canceled," the MP added.
Lifting sanctions on Syria: What is known
On June 30, Trump signed an executive order lifting sanctions against Syria that had been in place since 2004. The decision was welcomed in Syria, where officials stated that it would contribute to the country's recovery and development following years of civil war.
However, according to media reports, Trump "threw the baby out with the bathwater." Journalists noted that he "accidentally" removed some Russian institutions, banks, and individuals from the sanctions list. Among them was Rosoboronexport, a company that supplies Russian weapons to other countries.
