 "Trump sanctions Russia's top oil firms: Moscow calls move 'counterproductive', Zelenskyy welcomes it as 'important'")
Hours after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Moscow on Wednesday denounced the move as “entirely counterproductive,” even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the decision as “very important.”
On Wednesday, President Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, expressing frustration that his talks with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war “don’t go anywhere.”
The European Union also announced a new round of sanctions aimed at pressuring Russia to halt its ongoing, three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine, a close ally of both Washington and Brussels.
Trump had delayed taking such measures for months, but his patience ended after plans for a new summit with Putin in Budapest fell through.
“Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere,” Trump said during a briefing in the Oval Office when asked about the stalled talks.
However, he expressed hope that the “tremendous sanctions” on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil would be temporary. “We hope that the war will be settled,” he added.
Moscow calls sanctions ‘counterproductive’
Russia’s Foreign Ministry slammed the new US sanctions, arguing they would hurt prospects for negotiations to end the war.
“These measures are entirely counterproductive, including with respect to dialogue on ending the conflict,” CNN quoted ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying on Thursday at her weekly press briefing.
Zakharova maintained, however, that Russia’s economy would withstand the latest restrictions.
“Our country has developed a strong immunity to Western restrictions and will continue to confidently develop its economic and energy potential,” she said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsReacting to a separate decision by the European Union, which on Thursday formally adopted its 19th package of sanctions — including a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports — Zakharova said the measures were backfiring.
“It’s an obvious fact. The sanctions they’re imposing aren’t working as intended,” she told reporters. “They are primarily working against the EU.”
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of the Security Council, took a harder line, comparing the new sanctions to an act of war.
“The United States is our adversary, and their talkative ‘peacemaker’ has now fully embarked on the warpath against Russia,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram, accusing Washington of openly siding with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy welcomes ‘important’ US move
In contrast, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy welcomed the sanctions as a critical step forward. Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of an EU leaders’ summit, Zelenskyy said the action was “very important” and urged Washington and its allies to sustain pressure on Moscow.
“This is an essential step,” CNN quoted Zelenskyy as saying. “More pressure must be applied to bring Russia to the negotiating table.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Washington, Olga Stefanishyna, also praised the decision, calling it a demonstration of strength.
“This decision fully aligns with Ukraine’s position that peace can only be achieved through strength and by exerting maximum pressure on the aggressor using all available international instruments,” she said in a statement.
China voices opposition
In Beijing, China criticised the US move, saying the sanctions had “no basis in international law.”
“China consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that are not authorised by the United Nations Security Council,” AFP quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun as saying on Thursday.
“Such actions have no legal basis and do not help resolve the Ukraine crisis,” Guo added.
China, a key trading partner of Russia, has maintained a self-described “neutral stance” on the war, refusing to condemn Moscow’s invasion while calling for peace talks.
Responding to Trump’s comment that Chinese President Xi Jinping could have “a big influence” on Putin, Guo reiterated Beijing’s call for diplomacy.
“Dialogue and negotiations are the only feasible way out of the Ukraine crisis,” he said.
Guo also objected to the EU’s latest sanctions package, which included measures against several Chinese companies accused of aiding Russia’s military supply chain.
“China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it,” he said. “The European side is in no position to make irresponsible remarks about normal exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and Russian enterprises.”
He warned that Beijing “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” if the EU continues targeting Chinese firms.
With inputs from agencies
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