US vows to ensure compliance with sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil

The United States has pledged that President Donald Trump will follow through and enforce the fresh oil sanctions imposed on Russia to pressure Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin into peace talks with Ukraine.

Last week, the US Department of the Treasury placed Russian state oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil on the sanctions blacklist. These companies are Russia's largest oil producers. The move marked the first major package of financial sanctions against Russia since Trump returned to office.

"We have implemented those sanctions. We plan to enforce them," US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with Bloomberg.

He said he hopes that these measures will coerce Putin into sitting down at the negotiating table and end the war he started or "at least entering into a ceasefire so we can negotiate a final resolution".

The US ambassador also suggested that the sanctions may be just the first step taken by Trump's administration.

"President Trump holds all the cards, this is just one card that he's playing," he concluded.

Trump has called for a complete European embargo on Russian oil and gas. On 22 October, he imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil.

In response, Lukoil has decided to shut down its international operations and has begun seeking buyers for its foreign assets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes the sanctions imposed by the US on Rosneft and Lukoil will affect 56-57% of Russia's oil exports.