Dmitriev's second Washington visit since the 2022 invasion comes as Chinese and Indian refineries slash Russian oil purchases under the new US restrictions.
After new US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s Foreign Ministry avoided harsh criticism and instead urged Washington to continue talks on a “political settlement” for Ukraine.
Russia is pressing the UN’s aviation body to lift sanctions on spare parts and overflights, claiming they violate “human rights,” even as its airlines scramble for Western components and its Belarusian ally faces fresh scrutiny over backdoor transfers.
Even with a collapsing economy and the threat of international isolation, Putin is poised to escalate his war. As Foreign Affairs puts it: the Kremlin leader will go to “extreme lengths” to avoid losing in Ukraine.
Russian banks can no longer process international energy transactions, endangering the Kremlin's primary war funding mechanism. The expiration of a key exemption also triggers secondary sanctions risk for any nation trading with Moscow.