After being played yet again by Vladimir Putin’s stalling techniques, Donald Trump has finally taken that further action he’s been promising for so long: he has issued sanctions against Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.

Hallelujah!

Following the announcement that Trump would meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky in Washington on October 17th, Putin jumped the gun and called Trump on the 16th, offering to meet with him, possibly in Budapest. Trump happily agreed, and announced that a meeting would take place within the next couple of weeks. There was even a follow-up discussion between Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rubio.

But something went wrong, and Trump announced that he had cancelled the meeting with Putin because he “didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get.” [Jennifer Hansler, Kit Maher and Kaitlan Collins, CNN, October 22, 2025.]

Yes, something went wrong, all right. In the Lavrov-Rubio call, Lavrov made it clear that Putin’s demand that Russia be given Ukraine’s Donbas region as a non-negotiable part of any ceasefire arrangement had not changed. And for Ukraine, that has always been a non-starter.

In the Oval Office today, Trump explained that he “felt it was time” to impose the sanctions, and that he had “waited a long time” to do so. He added that he still hoped “they won’t be on for long,” remaining optimistic that the war would soon come to an end. [Id.]

And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a statement saying that it was “time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire. Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine. Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.” [Id.]

Eddie Fishman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told CNN:

“So far what’s come out is these primary sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, but the key then will be if there’s a threat of secondary sanctions on banks, oil refineries and traders in third countries who are dealing with Rosneft and Lukoil.” [Id.]

Let’s hope the U.S. follows through with the complete package of sanctions. As Russia continues to blast away at multiple regions of Ukraine, killing and maiming its innocent civilians and destroying its infrastructure in order to inflict maximum suffering during the coming winter, let Putin see how his people like living with the effects of fuel shortages.

I’ve been in Russia in February, and it’s no picnic. To compensate for the minus-20-degree temperatures, the buildings were overheated. How will the people react when their domestic fuel supplies are cut short in order to keep Putin’s “special military operation” supplied?

I don’t often have an opportunity to give props to the current U.S. administration, but today’s action deserves praise. My fingers are crossed that Trump doesn’t back off again.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/22/25