Washington DC [US]: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s criticism of Washington’s sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, saying he would “see how it all works out in six months.”
When asked about Putin’s remarks, Trump told reporters at the White House, “I’m glad he feels that way. I’ll let you know in six months. Let’s see how it all plays out.”
Putin had earlier described the sanctions as an “unfriendly move” that would not significantly harm Russia’s economy. “This is, of course, an attempt to put pressure on Russia,” Putin said. “But no self-respecting country or people ever makes decisions under pressure.”
Following the sanctions, global oil prices surged amid fears of a potential supply squeeze. Putin also lamented the cancellation of his planned meeting with Trump, remarking that “dialogue is always better than confrontation.”
Trump confirmed on Wednesday that the planned summit with Putin had been called off, saying it would not deliver the desired results. “We cancelled the meeting with President Putin — it just didn’t feel right,” he said. “It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we needed to get. So I cancelled it, but we’ll do it in the future.”
Putin later suggested that the meeting was merely postponed, noting that the two leaders had previously met in Alaska in August.
The latest US sanctions freeze all American-based assets of Rosneft and Lukoil and prohibit US entities and citizens from conducting business with them. According to the US Treasury Department, the move aims to curb Russia’s ability to finance its war operations and weaken its economy.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, calling it “appropriate and necessary” in light of Moscow’s lack of progress toward peace. “The president has always said he would impose sanctions when he felt it was necessary — and yesterday was that day,” she told reporters.
Leavitt also hinted that while a potential Trump-Putin meeting is not completely ruled out, the president wants any future talks to yield “real results.” She added that Trump remains frustrated by the slow pace of peace efforts, saying, “He wants action, not just talk. The president is extremely motivated by his success in the Middle East peace deal and wants this war to end.”
Meanwhile, Putin reiterated that US sanctions were part of Washington’s broader strategy to exert pressure on Moscow, insisting such tactics would fail. He also suggested that “certain individuals within the US administration” were pursuing policies that might not align with America’s long-term interests.
Despite the tensions, Putin emphasized that Russia and the US still have “many areas where cooperation is possible” — if both sides choose dialogue over confrontation.
