Russia’s Foreign Ministry has called on Washington to continue negotiations on a “political settlement” of the war in Ukraine, even after new US sanctions hit two of Moscow’s largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil.
The appeal from Moscow comes amid renewed tensions following Washington’s first major sanctions since US President Donald Trump’s return to office. The move marked a sharp turn in US policy after weeks of faltering peace talks between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has insisted on sweeping concessions from Kyiv.
According to The Moscow Times, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow does not see “significant obstacles” to further dialogue between the two countries, despite what she described as a “counterproductive step” by Washington.
“We see no major impediments to continuing the process initiated by the presidents of Russia and the United States to coordinate political frameworks for a Ukrainian settlement,” Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
The Kremlin hopes to maintain contact “along the lines of the US State Department,” Zakharova added, referring to understandings reportedly reached during the October 16 conversation between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Her unusually restrained tone contrasted with Moscow’s usual sharp rhetoric toward US sanctions. The measures announced on Wednesday were the first imposed since Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 and targeted the oil sector that supplies two-thirds of Russia’s output.
The sanctions have disrupted Russian crude exports to India - now Moscow’s second-largest market after China - as Indian refineries prepare to scale back imports due to US restrictions.
The move came amid Trump’s frustration with the lack of progress in talks with Putin on ending the war in Ukraine. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the sanctions reflect the president’s disappointment with Moscow’s “maximalist demands.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was still preparing for a potential Putin-Trump summit in Budapest, though Trump later confirmed he had decided to cancel the meeting.
“It didn’t feel like we could achieve what we needed to,” Trump said, adding that Putin “keeps asking for everything.”
