Trump imposes sanctions on Russian oil and cancels meeting with Putin: Washington demonstrates strategic pressure – Rezazade

US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of a new package of sanctions against the two largest Russian oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil — and at the same time announced the cancellation of the planned meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

As noted by the first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, international expert Ali Reza Rezazade, this decision marks the transition of the United States from diplomatic signals to concrete economic pressure, which should force the Kremlin to make real concessions.

“Trump understood that peace talks with Putin without pressure are meaningless. Sanctions are an attempt to translate the conflict into the plane of economic exhaustion of Russia. This is a new phase of the containment strategy, where diplomacy is reinforced by the power of financial leverage,” Rezazade emphasized.

Trump, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, said he did not want a “futile meeting” if Moscow was not ready to end the war. According to him, the United States and its allies would continue to press until the Kremlin demonstrated real readiness for peace.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant explained that the sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil were imposed due to “Putin’s refusal to end a senseless war.” These companies provide the main financing for the Russian military machine.

Rezazade emphasizes that the economic measures are becoming systemic, as they were simultaneously supported by the United Kingdom and the European Union, which also limited imports of Russian energy resources.

“The United States is creating a global front of energy pressure,” the expert noted. “If China and India gradually reduce purchases of Russian oil, the Kremlin will find itself isolated not only politically but also financially. This will weaken Russia’s ability to wage war in the medium term.”

According to Rezazade, Trump's decision also demonstrates a change in tone in Washington's relations with Moscow. If earlier the US president sought "peace through dialogue", now he acts according to the principle of "peace through force".

"This is a strategic turn. Trump no longer expects Putin to stop the aggression voluntarily. Now the bet is on making the war economically unprofitable for the Kremlin," the expert concluded.