‘Maximalist Demands’ from Putin Lead to US Sanctions

Growing frustration in the Trump administration over Vladimir Putin’s “maximalist demands” in peace talks has boiled over, leading the US to sanction Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.
This move marks a significant swing of the policy pendulum, away from pressuring Kyiv to accept terms and toward punishing Moscow directly. The sanctions, the first of Trump’s new term, are aimed at cutting off funds for the “Kremlin’s war machine.”
President Trump himself signaled the breakdown in talks by cancelling a planned summit with Putin. “It didn’t feel right to me,” Trump said, confirming that negotiations had hit a wall.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement of the sanctions called for an “immediate ceasefire.” He said the measures were a direct result of Putin’s “refusal to end this senseless war.”
The US action was welcomed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a “clear signal” of transatlantic unity. The EU is also preparing its 19th sanctions package, which will target Russian LNG and its “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.