Russia accuses US of “act of war” after sanctions against oil companies

The new economic sanctions imposed by Donald Trump’s government against Russia’s two largest oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil — caused an immediate rise of almost 5% in the price of international oil and an escalation in tensions between Washington and Moscow. Brent reached US$65.50 and WTI surpassed US$61, in the biggest jump in weeks, reflecting fears of global supply shortages, as Russia is the world’s second largest oil producer.

The impact was immediate: refineries in China and India, the main buyers of Russian oil, announced a reduction or suspension of imports. The market reacted with uncertainty, and OPEC countries promised to “compensate for possible production deficits”, fearing a new energy crisis.

“Restricting Russian oil will destabilize the markets and harm the American consumer,” warned President Vladimir Putin, accusing Trump of “acting on political impulses that put the global economy at risk.”

Moscow reacts: “The USA is our enemy”

The Russian response was immediate and forceful. Former president Dmitry Medvedev, now vice-president of the Security Council and one of Putin’s main allies, classified the sanctions as “an act of war” and stated that “the US has entered the path of confrontation once and for all”.

“The cancellation of the summit in Budapest by Trump. New sanctions against our country by the US. What else? There will be new weapons, in addition to the infamous [mísseis] ‘Tomahawks’?” said Medvedev. “The US is our enemy, and your loudmouth ‘peacemaker’ [Trump] now it has now entered the path of war against Russia once and for all. The decisions taken are an act of war against Russia – and now Trump has completely sympathized with insane Europe.”

The statements, in an almost warlike tone, came after the cancellation of the meeting between Trump and Putin, which was to be held in Hungary to discuss a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin interpreted the gesture as a diplomatic rupture and intensified military demonstrations — including the launch of nuclear ballistic missiles in simultaneous tests, seen by analysts as a direct message to Washington.

Sanctions that isolate and inflame

The US Treasury’s measures block all goods and assets of Russian companies on American territory and prohibit transactions with their subsidiaries. More than an economic blow, experts estimate that the sanctions affect the central structure of Russia’s financing, as oil accounts for more than 30% of state revenue.

However, Trump’s decision does not occur in a vacuum. At the same time as he tries to put pressure on Moscow, the Republican faces growing internal and external pressures: energy inflation in the USA, criticism from European allies about the risk of destabilization and the loss of international credibility after successive reversals in his foreign policy.

Trump tries to appear strong in front of Putin, but he acts erratically and reactively. Its sanctions punish the entire world — especially energy-dependent countries — while fueling Russian nationalism. Trump repeats the historic error of using economic sanctions as a political weapon, which also penalizes the American consumer.

Rising oil and diplomatic crisis

The spike in prices is already causing side effects. In addition to the increase in fuel costs in the US and Europe, China and India — which had been supporting part of Russian exports — are beginning to reduce operations to avoid retaliation from Washington. The blockade threatens to disrupt global energy trade, putting pressure on emerging economies and raising transport and production costs.

In reaction, Putin once again defended the diversification of Russian partners, strengthening ties with countries not aligned with the West and with the expanded Brics bloc, in which Brazil and China have a strategic role.

The return of the logic of war

The new round of sanctions marks a turning point in Trump’s policy, which until then avoided direct measures against Moscow. Now, by toughening his tone, the Republican rekindles rhetoric of confrontation between nuclear powers, with the potential to further fragment the international order.

The gesture is seen by analysts as a domestic policy move disguised as diplomacy, seeking to regain support among Republican hawks and military sectors — at the cost of a dangerous escalation.

“Every new ultimatum from Trump is a step towards direct conflict. Diplomacy has been replaced by economic blackmail,” declared Medvedev.

Russian rhetoric echoes a growing sense of geopolitical encirclement, fueled by expanded European sanctions and NATO support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the war — about to turn four years old — drags on with no prospect of peace, and the economic and human cost is growing at an alarming rate.

An empire in decline

By targeting Russian oil, Trump strikes at the heart of the global economy — but he also exposes the contradictions of a country that, in the name of hegemony, destabilizes the very system it created. The US, which presents itself as a defender of “market freedom”, increasingly resorts to economic blockade and isolation as instruments of power, transforming allies into hostages and adversaries into permanent enemies.

Sanctions are the new battleground of American imperial politics. But the multipolar world no longer bends so easily.

The offensive against Moscow, combined with the crisis with China and the wear and tear with European allies, reinforces the image of a power in decline, trapped in an erratic foreign policy and driven by electoral impulses.

Trump’s sanctions not only raised the price of oil — but also accentuated the war of narratives that defines the new global scenario. For Russia, it is about defending its sovereignty in the face of a Western siege. For the US, to reaffirm its leadership through economic coercion. The result, however, is a more unstable, more expensive and more dangerous world.