U.S. President Donald Trump said the real impact of new American sanctions on Russia would become clear within six months, responding to Vladimir Putin’s claim that Western restrictions have failed to hurt the Russian economy.
“I’m glad he [Putin] thinks so. We’ll see in six months,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
The latest U.S. sanctions target Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and LUKOIL, along with several of their subsidiaries. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures were imposed because the Kremlin “was not honest or transparent” in negotiations over Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said Washington expects the sanctions to cause “serious damage” to Moscow.
“President Trump has always said he’ll impose sanctions when he deems them necessary – and yesterday was that day,” Levitt noted. “He wants to see action, not just words.”
Putin, in turn, called the move an attempt to pressure Moscow, stressing that “self-respecting nations do not act under pressure.” Despite what he called “some losses,” the Russian president insisted that the country “feels confident and stable.”
