One person familiar with Friday’s discussion mentioned that Surgutneftegas, considered to be Putin’s personal company, hasn’t been targeted yet and predicted the potential impact: “If their entire oil sphere could be squeezed, it might bring Putin to the negotiation table.”
A senior U.K. official emphasized that the U.S. action was “a really important new step” and noted that “it is always more powerful when nations act together.”
The same source close to Friday’s talks stated that long-range missile capabilities must be part of European and U.S. strategies.
“Everyone saw how Putin reacted to the Tomahawks prospect,” they said. “But then Americans backed away from the idea, and Putin quickly turned away from diplomacy.”
Diplomatic drama
The U.S. president has vacillated in his willingness to engage with both Zelenskyy and Putin, making European observers uneasy about his planned meeting with the Russian leader in Hungary this week.
However, the meeting was canceled after a contentious phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
On Wednesday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s two largest oil companies, signaling a change in stance from the White House.
Trump, who had previously stated he wouldn’t impose additional sanctions unless European countries distanced themselves from Russian oil and gas, told reporters: “I just felt it was time.”
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