After the Chernobyl-like meltdown of plans to end the Russia-Ukraine war on Tuesday, there was a flurry of activity that may or may not be significant.
On Wednesday, U.S Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that new sanctions were imposed on Russian oil companies. A Treasury bulletin by the Office of Foreign Asset Control announced "further sanctions as a result of Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine." In a statement accompanying the bulletin, Bessent said:
Now is the time to stop the killing and for an immediate ceasefire. Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine. Treasury is prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war. We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.
The bulletin goes on to list 33 subsidiaries of Rosfnet and Lukoil, which are now subject to sanctions.
While impressive on the surface, when you start digging, the sanctions are unlikely to change much of anything. The sanctions are aimed at "all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons." As the U.S. doesn't import Russian oil and most U.S. investors and companies severed ties with Russian oil companies in 2022, the immediate impact is negligible. As for foreign companies, like those in China and India, that are importing Russian oil as fast as tankers can travel, they "run the risk of being sanctioned."
This opens the door to secondary sanctions, but gives no hint that it will impose them. In short, far from being "sanctions, which take aim at the heart of the Russian economy," it is a nothingburger. Any value it might possibly have is in showing the Kremlin that Washington is willing to take at least symbolic steps in response to Russian intransigence and humiliation; see Trump Cancels Budapest Summit After Russia Signals It Will Not Budge on Cease Fire Pre-Conditions – RedState. (Note: Reuters is reporting that Chinese companies are turning away from direct purchases. They can still buy Russian oil from India. If India stops purchasing Russian oil, I'll gladly reconsider my evaluation of the usefulness of the OFAC sanctions).
SEE ALSO: 'Time to Stop the Killing': Treasury Dept. Signals Ramping Up of Sanctions on Russia
A little more significant is the reported removal of the Biden-Blinken-Sullivan micromanaging of Ukrainian strikes inside Russia using weapons purchased from the West.
The Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, enabling Kyiv to step up attacks on targets inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Ukraine used a British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missile on Tuesday to strike a Russian plant in Bryansk that produced explosives and rocket fuel, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on social media. It called the strike a “successful hit” that penetrated Russian air defenses.
Note: Trump has called the WSJ story regarding long-range missiles "FAKE NEWS!" but a reading of the Truth from Truth Social seems to imply that the U.S. is not involved in any way in missile strikes into Russia by Ukraine.
( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post )
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) October 22, 2025
( Donald J. Trump - Oct 22, 2025, 4:24 PM ET )
The Wall Street Journal story on the U.S.A.’s approval of Ukraine being allowed to use long range missiles deep into Russia is FAKE NEWS! The U.S. has nothing to do … pic.twitter.com/a3eXqAAgRT
This increased autonomy in target selection was apparently the consolation prize awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he failed to get Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles. Reportedly, the clearance for attacks on targets in Russia no longer has Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in the loop; the final authority for such attacks rests with the commander of U.S. European Command. The new command system should improve the ability to hit fleeting targets but still prevent nuclear delivery and defense assets from being targeted.
Finally, no story about Russia is complete without a Dmitry Medvedev angle. Mevedeve has been president and prime minister of Russia and now holds the exalted title of Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. When Medvedev speaks, you know he's doing so with Kremlin permission. Divining what message the Kremlin is using him to send is another story. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Medvedev has threatened to nuke just about every capital in Europe. His primary role seems to be to Russia's Cleavon Little, threatening to shoot the sheriff. This was how he responded to the week's news on X.
Дмитрий Медведев
Trump's cancellation of the summit in Budapest.
New sanctions against our country from the USA.
What else? Will there be new weapons besides the infamous "Tomahawks"?
If any of the numerous commentators still had illusions - here you go. The USA is our enemy, and their talkative "peacemaker" has now fully taken up the path of war with Russia. Yes, he does not always actively fight on the side of Banderite Kyiv yet, but this is now his conflict, not the senile Biden's! Of course, they will say that he could not do otherwise, that he was pressured in Congress, etc. This does not change the main thing: the decisions made are an act of war against Russia. And now Trump has fully aligned himself with the insane Europe.
But there is a clear plus in the next swing of the Trump pendulum: it is possible to strike with various weapons at all Banderite hideouts without looking back at unnecessary negotiations. And to achieve victory exactly where it is only possible. On the ground, not behind a desk. Destroying enemies, not making meaningless "deals".
There is some very good advice here for President Trump if he cares to listen. While the White House seems convinced it can wean Russia away from China and turn it into an ally in the competition with China, Russia is under no illusions about its relationship with the U.S. This is the same relationship it has had since the U.S. Army occupied Archangel in 1918. Yes, this conflict is now Trump's conflict. You can only blame the last guy for so long before it becomes unmanly. He can't fall back on the "I'm not Biden" strategy; he has to develop his own way forward, and it has not been going well. And finally, as I've noted many times before, wars do not end in deals. They end when one side can't continue or both sides decide the effort isn't worth the candle. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has reached that point. If Trump is really concerned about lives, he needs to give Ukraine the tools it needs to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
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