EU, Trump issue new Russian sanctions

The European Union levied new sanctions against Russia on Thursday, banning the imports of liquefied natural gas from Moscow. The EU is keeping pressure high on the aggressor by going after the heart of Russia’s economy, according to a Thursday morning statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She promised to keep the sanctions in place until Ukrainians receive a lasting peace. It has been more than three years since Russia invaded.

The EU’s move came on the heels of additional sanctions by the Trump administration on Wednesday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blocked Americans from doing business with Russia’s two largest oil companies in an attempt to push Moscow into ending its war on Ukraine. Putting pressure on Russia’s energy sector will degrade the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war machine, according to the Treasury Department. The United States will continue to advocate for a peaceful end to the war, which entirely depends on Russia’s willingness to negotiate in good faith, the department added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a Thursday statement praising the new sanctions. America’s sanctions send Russia a clear message that spreading terror comes with a cost, Zelenskyy wrote. The EU’s additional restrictions on Russian banking and financial schemes are another first that will pressure Moscow into ending its war, he said.

How is Russia responding? Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday described the sanctions as counterproductive. The U.S. sanctions will be politically disastrous and detrimental to global economic stability, she said. The EU’s previous sanctions were ineffective, and its new ones won't be any different, she added. Russia is open to continuing talks with the U.S. State Department, pursuant to the understandings reached during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent phone call with President Donald Trump, Zakharova said. The goal is to nail down more parameters for Russo-American dialogue, both around bilateral relations and on further joint steps toward a Ukrainian settlement, she said.

Dig deeper: Read my recent report for more about Trump’s call with Putin.