President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary Normal Mark Rutte within the Oval Workplace of the White Home on Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
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Alex Brandon/AP
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration introduced Wednesday new “large sanctions” in opposition to Russia’s oil trade which are geared toward transferring Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating desk and bringing an finish to Moscow’s brutal conflict on Ukraine.
The sanctions in opposition to oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil adopted months of calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in addition to bipartisan stress on Trump to hit Russia with more durable sanctions on its oil trade, the financial engine that has allowed Russia to proceed to execute the grinding battle even because it finds itself largely internationally remoted.
“Hopefully he’ll develop into affordable,” Trump stated of Putin not lengthy after the Treasury Division introduced the sanctions in opposition to Russia’s two largest oil corporations and their subsidiaries. “And hopefully Zelenskyy shall be affordable, too. You understand, it takes two to tango, as they are saying.”
The U.S. administration introduced the sanctions as NATO Secretary Normal Mark Rutte was in Washington for talks with Trump. The navy alliance has been coordinating deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, a lot of them bought from america by Canada and European international locations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the brand new sanctions have been a direct response to Moscow’s refusal to finish its “mindless conflict” and an try and choke off “the Kremlin’s conflict machine.”
Bessent added that the Treasury Division was ready to take additional motion if essential to help Trump’s effort to finish the conflict. “We encourage our allies to hitch us in and cling to those sanctions.”
The announcement got here after Russian drones and missiles blasted websites throughout Ukraine, killing not less than six folks, together with a girl and her two younger daughters.
The assault got here in waves from Tuesday night time into Wednesday and focused not less than eight Ukrainian cities, in addition to a village within the area of the capital, Kyiv, the place a strike set hearth to a home by which the mom and her 6-month-old and 12-year-old daughters have been staying, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk stated.
At the least 29 folks, together with 5 kids, have been wounded in Kyiv, which seemed to be the principle goal, authorities stated.
Russian drones additionally hit a kindergarten in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis, later Wednesday when kids have been within the constructing, Mayor Ihor Terekhov stated. One individual was killed and 6 have been harm, however no kids have been bodily harmed, he stated.
Rutte, in his Oval Workplace look, went out of his method to underscore that the weaponry the U.S. is promoting Europe to offer to Ukraine has been important to serving to cease many assaults just like the one which ravaged the kindergarten.
“We have to be sure that the air protection techniques are in place, and we’d like the U.S. techniques to do this, and the Europeans are paying for that,” Rutte stated. “It’s precisely the kind of actions we wanted, and the President is doing that and attempting every part to get this work achieved.”
Zelenskyy stated most of the kids have been in shock. He stated the assault focused 10 separate areas: Kyiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, Cherkasy and Sumy.
Peace efforts stall
Trump’s efforts to finish the conflict that began with Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor greater than three years in the past have failed to achieve traction. Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration with Putin’s refusal to budge from his circumstances for a settlement after Ukraine provided a ceasefire and direct peace talks.
Trump stated Tuesday that his plan for a swift assembly with Putin was on maintain as a result of he did not need it to be a “waste of time.” European leaders accused Putin of stalling.
In the meantime, in what seemed to be a public reminder of Russian atomic arsenals, Putin on Wednesday directed drills of the nation’s strategic nuclear forces.
Zelenskyy urged the European Union, america and the Group of Seven industrialized nations to power Russia to the negotiating desk. Stress may be utilized on Moscow “solely by means of sanctions, long-range (missile) capabilities and coordinated diplomacy amongst all our companions,” he stated.
Extra worldwide financial sanctions on Russia are prone to be mentioned Thursday at an EU summit in Brussels. On Friday, a gathering of the Coalition of the Prepared — a bunch of 35 international locations that help Ukraine — is to happen in London.
Zelenskyy credited Trump’s remarks that he was contemplating supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine for Putin’s willingness to fulfill. The American president later stated he was cautious of tapping into the U.S. provide of Tomahawks over issues about out there shares.
Russia has not made vital progress on the battlefield, the place a conflict of attrition has taken a excessive toll on Russian infantry and Ukraine is wanting manpower, navy analysts say. Each side have invested in long-range strike capabilities to hit rear areas.
On this picture supplied by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, rescuers evacuate kids after Russian drones hit a metropolis kindergarten throughout an assault in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.
AP/Ukrainian Emergency Service
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AP/Ukrainian Emergency Service
Ukraine says it hit key Russian chemical plant
The Ukrainian military’s common employees stated its forces struck a chemical plant Tuesday night time in Russia’s Bryansk area utilizing British-made air-launched Storm Shadow missiles. The plant is a crucial a part of the Russian navy and industrial complicated, producing gunpowder, explosives, missile gasoline and ammunition, it stated.
Russian officers within the area confirmed an assault however didn’t point out the plant.
Ukraine additionally claimed in a single day strikes on the Saransk mechanical plant in Mordovia, Russia, which produces elements for ammunition and mines, and the Makhachkala oil refinery within the Dagestan republic of Russia.
The Russian Protection Ministry stated its air defenses downed 33 Ukrainian drones over a number of areas in a single day, together with the realm round St. Petersburg. Eight airports briefly suspended flights due to the assaults.
In different developments, Zelenskyy arrived Wednesday in Oslo, Norway, and after that flew to Stockholm, the place he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson signed an settlement exploring the opportunity of Ukraine shopping for as much as 150 Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets over the following decade or extra. Ukraine has already obtained American-made F-16s and French Mirages.
Trump says Russia is on the agenda for upcoming Xi talks
The U.S. president is anticipated to fulfill subsequent week with Chinese language President Xi Jinping when the 2 leaders journey to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation Summit.
Beijing has not supplied Russia with direct help within the conflict, however has surged gross sales to Russia of machine instruments, microelectronics and different know-how that Moscow in flip is utilizing to provide missiles, tanks, plane and different weaponry to be used in its conflict in opposition to Ukraine, in keeping with a U.S. evaluation.
Trump has stated he believes the Russia-Ukraine conflict would finish if all NATO international locations stopped shopping for oil from Russia and positioned tariffs on China of fifty% to 100% for its purchases of Russian petroleum.
“I feel he may have a giant affect on Putin,” Trump stated of Xi Jinping.
Beijing has but to substantiate that Trump and Xi will meet.
