US energy chief: Sanctions on Russian oil still on table to end Ukraine war

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has suggested that sanctioning Russian oil to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine remains a “very real possibility”, as Washington mulls tougher measures ahead of a September deadline.

“It is huge pressure on Russia. That’s the biggest pressure you can put on them,” Caliber.Az quotes Wright as saying per foreign media.

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump warned that the United States could impose 100% tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil, along with other sanctions, if Moscow fails to agree to a significant peace deal with Kyiv.

The proposed deadline for such an agreement falls in early September.

Wright highlighted America’s dominant position in global energy markets as a key factor that gives Washington unprecedented leverage.

“The US is the world’s top producer of oil and gas,” he noted. “We’re able to do things that we couldn’t do before.”

Despite this strategic advantage, the Trump administration has yet to enact major sanctions targeting Russian oil exports.

Instead, it has focused on measures against Iran, a member of OPEC, since Trump began his second term in January.

By Aghakazim Guliyev