Russia publicly brushed off Washington’s coordinated sanctions on its two largest oil companies, but analysts believe concern is growing behind the Kremlin’s defiance.
Russia has publicly dismissed the latest US sanctions targeting its top oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, calling them “counterproductive.” The Foreign Ministry accused Washington of failure and said the EU could not accept that its measures “don’t work.”
Russian media echoed the defiance, with Komsomolskaya Pravda taunting, “Couldn’t you have come up with something better?” and Izvestia quoting American analysts predicting that the sanctions would hurt Europe instead.
However, experts suggest the Kremlin’s bravado masks growing concern. The sanctions target the “crown jewels” of Russia’s economy and mark the Trump administration’s first direct punitive action against Moscow after months of hesitation.
Despite the pressure, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said its “goals remain unchanged.” Former president Dmitry Medvedev claimed the measures would only embolden Moscow to intensify its military campaign in Ukraine “without regard to unnecessary negotiations.”