Chicago – October 22, 2025
The United States has imposed sweeping new sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, in a move Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called a “substantial escalation” of economic pressure on Moscow. The sanctions, announced late Thursday following Bessent’s preview a day earlier, aim to cripple Russia’s energy revenues that have continued to fund its military operations in Ukraine.
The new measures target both production and export capacities of the sanctioned firms, effectively restricting their access to international financing and advanced drilling technology. The White House emphasized that the sanctions are designed to tighten economic isolation while minimizing disruption to global oil markets.
President Donald Trump urged Moscow to agree to an immediate ceasefire, warning that the United States and its allies are prepared to impose even harsher penalties if hostilities persist. According to senior administration officials, the steps mark one of Washington’s most aggressive economic attempts yet to pressure the Kremlin into ending its campaign in Eastern Europe.
