The US says President Donald Trump's decision to impose a new package of sanctions against Russia is the culmination of months of failed attempts to persuade Vladimir Putin to agree to a real end to the war in Ukraine. After Moscow continued its massive attacks on Ukrainian cities and did not change its demands even after talks at a summit in Alaska in August, Trump decided to "move in a different direction" and hit key sources of Russian profits - Rosneft and Lukoil.
What happened now?
On October 22, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's largest oil companies. These restrictions are intended to cut them off from American financial services and make it difficult to sell Russian oil, which is financing the war against Ukraine. The US Treasury Department explained the move by "Russia's lack of serious commitment to the peace process." Trump simultaneously canceled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, saying that he saw no point in meeting if he "didn't see progress" in ending Russian aggression. The White House officially acknowledged that the talks had reached an impasse. Russia was publicly outraged, calling the sanctions an "unfriendly step," but at the same time stated that they would not force it to stop the war. Putin made it clear that he was not going to change his demands on Ukraine. In parallel, the European Union announced a new package of its own restrictions, including a ban on the import of Russian LNG and additional financial restrictions, synchronizing with the United States. This demonstrates a rare public unity of the West around pressure on the Kremlin.
What has changed in Trump's position?
According to CNN sources in the White House, many in Washington were surprised by how suddenly the president went to sanctions. But inside the administration, it is described not as an outburst of emotions, but as a build-up of frustration. Trump had been told for “months” that Putin was not ready to actually end the war, and this did not change even after their direct contacts, including after the meeting in Alaska in August 2025.
A White House official explained the president’s logic as follows:
“Trump believed that personal conversations with Putin might work better than pressure. He didn’t want to take ‘too drastic a step’ lest he ruin the chances of a peace deal. But Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities, including civilian infrastructure.”
According to media reports, the Russian attack on a kindergarten in Kharkiv, which occurred just hours before the sanctions were announced, only reinforced the feeling in the White House that Moscow was not going to change its tactics. This became the emotional background of the decision.
The Administration's sentiment quote: "Harshness led to action." Officials compare this to Trump's approach to the Middle East, where he believes his harsh public demands on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu helped move the Gaza talks forward. The logic is: push and make them move.
The Role of the Republican Party
This is not just Trump’s personal impulse. Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham, have long promoted the idea of a tough sanctions package against Russia, and a bill called the “Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025” has been registered in Congress, which would put pressure not only on Russia but also on countries that buy Russian energy. The Senate majority has also publicly supported the idea of hitting the Kremlin’s revenues, emphasizing that this is necessary to “stop the bloodshed” in Ukraine.
That is, politically, Trump no longer appears "soft on Putin" within his own party - on the contrary, he now acts in the lane of Republican hawks who want to economically strangle the Russian military machine.
What exactly is under sanctions?
According to the US Treasury Department and the media, Rosneft and Lukoil are key sources of Russia's foreign exchange earnings from oil exports. They provide a significant part of the Russian budget, which finances full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The sanctions are aimed at limiting these companies' access to American financial services and complicating international payments for Russian oil. This is a blow to the Kremlin's wallet, not a symbolic gesture. The White House is also sending a signal to other importers of Russian oil - they say, buying Russian raw materials is becoming toxic. It is already being reported that large energy companies in China and India are reducing purchases in order to avoid falling under secondary US sanctions. If this trend takes hold, this will be the most tangible real consequence.
Will this stop Putin?
There is skepticism, and it is even among American analysts. First, Russia has been preparing for energy sanctions for years: reorienting oil exports to Asia, a shadow fleet, calculations bypassing the dollar. This makes the immediate effect of the sanctions less obvious. Second, Putin has demonstratively stated that “serious” US sanctions will not change Russia’s course in the war. He has made it clear that he is ready to endure economic losses for the sake of military goals that the Kremlin calls “existential.” Third, even within the administration it is acknowledged that Trump has repeatedly changed his tone towards Putin during his current term, from flattery to tough public demands and back. Whether the new line will become permanent is an open question.
Why is this important for Ukraine?
-
For the first time in Trump's second term, the US is not just "threatening" but actually imposing large-scale sanctions against Russian energy — the main source of money for the war. Previously, the threats were made on January 22, actually "at the start" of the presidency, but then practical steps did not come. Now they have.
-
Sanctions are being imposed in parallel with pressure on allies. The EU is announcing its own package, Britain has long had sanctions against the same companies. A coordinated Western strike is always more painful than a unilateral one.
-
The US rhetoric has changed dramatically: it is now officially stated that the Kremlin is not demonstrating a “serious commitment to peace.” This is important diplomatically because it reinforces Kyiv’s argument: Putin does not want to end the war, he wants an end to the resistance.
-
For Kyiv, this is a signal that the White House has not abandoned the idea of putting pressure on Moscow economically, and not just demanding that Ukraine “make concessions.” After Alaska, Trump was accused of being too insistent on compromises at the expense of territories. Now he is betting on another lever — the Kremlin’s money.
But there is a big "but"
Trump himself has not closed the door to a new meeting with Putin. He canceled the Budapest summit, but called it more of a “pause,” saying that the meeting “will happen in the future” if he sees the point. That is, sanctions are not the end of negotiations, but an attempt to put them in a more favorable position for the United States (and, potentially, for Ukraine).
We are now witnessing what Washington describes as Trump's "instinctive U-turn" from hoping for a personal deal with Putin to pressuring Russian money. Whether this becomes a strategy or another tactical surge depends on two things:
• whether the sanctions will hold up under political and business lobbying,
• and whether demand for Russian oil from major buyers will actually fall.
If the latter happens, the Kremlin will have a real financial crack for the first time in a long time. If not, Putin, as he warned, will simply call it all an "unfriendly step" and continue to fight.
