The United States may be preparing to restore sanctions on Russian oil exports after President Donald Trump and other G7 leaders agreed on Tuesday to refocus attention on the war in Ukraine, more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has drawn attention away from Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began with President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion. However, after announcing an agreement aimed at ending the 3½-month Gulf conflict, President Donald Trump said he now plans to refocus on Ukraine.
Trump said Iran will soon be “back in the rearview mirror.”
When asked if he would bring back sanctions on Russia that were previously eased to help stabilise oil prices, Trump said the measures could be reinstated once oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz increase.
“Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing,” Trump told reporters. “We’re in a position to do that soon.”
In March, the United States temporarily relaxed certain sanctions on Russian oil shipments after a sharp rise in global crude prices. That waiver has since been extended as the conflict in the Gulf continued to drag on.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in discussions with G7 leaders on the ongoing war in Ukraine, though the meeting was brief, lasting only about 75 minutes.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine remains committed to achieving peace, accusing Russia of misleading global leaders in the process. He also noted that “The entire ‘Seven’ supports Ukraine unanimously today,” according to his remarks.
Zelenskyy said Russia is not demonstrating genuine steps toward peace, describing its behaviour as “a game.”
He also stated that G7 leaders backed Ukraine’s request for additional Patriot air defence systems and discussed expanding output through licensing arrangements. The Patriot system is used to intercept Russian ballistic missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and urban areas.
With the U.S. under President Donald Trump scaling back its assistance to Ukraine, France and other European allies have become Kyiv’s main providers of military and financial backing.
At the summit held in Evian, a French resort town close to the Swiss border, Trump minimised the conflict’s direct effects on the United States but acknowledged the heavy loss of life caused by the war.
“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump said. “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”
At the same time, the United Kingdom introduced new sanctions targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which is used to transport oil and gas, along with financial networks that assist Moscow in evading Western sanctions. The measures also cover vessels recently purchased by Russia for moving liquefied natural gas from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.
