US Ramps Up Pressure on Russia With Fresh Energy Sanctions

  • Move is part of last-ditch effort to boost Ukraine’s leverage
  • Major Russian exporters and tankers are among targets

A worker monitors drilling procedures at a gas drilling rig in the Sakha Republic, Russia.

Photographer: Bloomberg
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The US imposed its most aggressive sanctions on Russia’s oil industry yet as the Biden administration looks for last-minute ways to boost Ukraine’s leverage in possible peace negotiations after Donald Trump takes office.

The measures announced Friday targeted two firms that handle more than a quarter of Russia’s seaborne oil exports, as well as vital insurers and traders linked to hundreds of cargoes. The US also broadened sanctions on tankers that have already proved disruptive.