'Sanctions Will Backfire': Russia Warns US After Trump Targets Rosneft & Lukoil, China Joins Criticism

Russia and China on Thursday, October 23, criticised the United States after President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on Moscow’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the measures would “backfire” on Washington and disrupt the global economy, while Beijing rejected the sanctions as having “no basis in international law.”

Moscow Says Measures ‘Counterproductive’

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the sanctions would fail to pressure Moscow into compromising on its national interests. She described Washington’s decision as “entirely counterproductive,” warning that it undermined prospects for “meaningful negotiated solutions” to the conflict in Ukraine.

Zakharova said Moscow remained open to dialogue but insisted that any talks must take place through diplomatic channels rather than “media leaks and political posturing.” She added that “genuine negotiations must be rooted in mutual respect and realism.”

“We view this step as being entirely counterproductive, including in terms of signalling the need to achieve meaningful negotiated solutions to the Ukrainian conflict,” Zakharova said.

She further asserted that Russia had “developed a strong immunity to Western restrictions” and would continue to expand its economic and energy potential despite the sanctions.

President Trump imposed the restrictions on Wednesday, stating that his efforts to negotiate peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin were “not going anywhere.” The move reportedly came after a planned summit between the two leaders in Budapest collapsed following months of delay.

China Rejects US and EU Sanctions

China also voiced strong opposition to the latest US measures, with a government spokesperson saying they “have no basis in international law.” China called for dialogue instead of coercive tactics, criticising what it termed “unilateral sanctions.”

The Chinese government also took issue with the European Union’s new sanctions package, which included penalties on Chinese firms accused of assisting Russia’s war efforts. “China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it,” spokesperson Guo said, adding that Beijing opposed any steps that “harm the legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises.”

The twin rebukes from Moscow and Beijing signal renewed diplomatic friction between Washington and its key rivals over the use of sanctions as a foreign policy tool.

Published on: Thursday, October 23, 2025, 04:36 PM IST