Trump to enforce new sanctions against Russia – US ambassador

U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said this in an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrinform reports.

"We have implemented those sanctions. We plan to enforce them," he said on Tuesday.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted state-run oil giants Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, Russia's biggest oil producers — as part of a fresh bid to end the war in Ukraine by depriving Moscow of revenues to fund the war.

It was the first major package of financial sanctions on 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.

Crude prices jumped after the sanctions announcement, but market reaction has been muted amid confusion over just how seriously the White House would enforce the new measures on Russia, which has been targeted by heavy sanctions since the early days of the war.

According to Whitaker, however, this is just the beginning.

"President Trump holds all the cards, this is just one card that he's playing," he said. "There are many more."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier told journalists that the sanctions imposed by President Trump would reduce Russia's revenues by $5 billion per month.

Photo: The White House