Trump preparing new sanctions on Russia to push Putin to peace talks - US ambassador to NATO
Photo: Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will impose new tough sanctions on Russia to force President Vladimir Putin to enter peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, said US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker.
"We have implemented those sanctions. We plan to enforce them," he emphasized.
The US Treasury Department last week imposed sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil. It was the first major package of financial sanctions against Russia since Trump took office.
"This will maybe be the thing to unlock President Putin coming to the table and ending this war, and at least entering into a ceasefire so we can negotiate a final resolution," Whitaker said.
Oil prices spiked after the announcement, though the market reaction remained cautious due to uncertainty over how strictly Washington would enforce the new measures.
However, according to the US ambassador to NATO, this is just the beginning.
"President Trump holds all the cards, this is just one card that he's playing. There are many more," he said.
Sanctions against Russia
On October 23, US President Donald Trump imposed tough sanctions on Russian energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft, as well as their subsidiaries.
Lukoil shares fell by 7.2% in just two days on the Moscow Exchange, representing a loss of approximately $3.66 billion.
According to Bloomberg, the sanctions could seriously disrupt Russia's oil export flows. In particular, shipments to India, which surged after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, could soon drop to nearly zero.
Sources told Reuters that the US restrictions have forced China's state oil companies to temporarily halt purchases of Russian crude, at least in the short term.
