German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he’s optimistic that the US will exempt Rosneft PJSC’s German unit from Washington’s latest sanctions against Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft as his frustration grows with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war.

Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin special envoy, is reported to have arrived in the United States for "official" talks following the imposition of sanctions on Russia's oil sector and the cancellation of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Hungary.

US sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil are shaking up the global market, leading to surging oil prices and a scramble for alternative supplies.

The US is imposing sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, aiming to “degrade” Vladimir Putin’s war chest and support Donald Trump’s effort to end the war in Ukraine. The move marks the first time the Trump administration has imposed direct costs on Moscow over its full-scale invasion.

Oil prices surged around 5% to a two-week high on Thursday after the U.S. imposed sanctions on major Russian suppliers Rosneft and Lukoil over Russia's war in Ukraine. Sanctions against Russia could reduce the supply of oil available to global markets as Russia was the world's second-biggest crude producer in 2024 after the U.

New US sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil are prompting Indian refiners to seek more crude from the Middle East, Latin America, and th