We're going to take those sanctions off until the strait is up
In the shadow of a widening Middle Eastern conflict, Donald Trump emerged from a call with Vladimir Putin to announce the lifting of oil sanctions on unnamed nations — a move framed as relief for a world economy straining under blocked straits and surging crude prices, but one that carries the quiet weight of potentially rewarding Moscow at the very moment the West has sought to hold it accountable. The announcement, vague in its particulars yet seismic in its implications, arrives as Ukraine simultaneously fights its own war, extends military aid across the region, and waits for peace talks a distracted Washington has asked to delay. History rarely moves in straight lines, and this moment — where one crisis quietly reshapes the terms of another — is a reminder of how entangled the world's wounds have become.
- Crude oil surging past $100 a barrel after Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has created a global energy emergency that is now bending Western sanctions policy in ways Moscow could not have engineered alone.
- Trump's deliberately vague promise to lift oil sanctions — made hours after a call with Putin, with no named countries, no timeline, and no conditions — has rattled allies who spent years building the economic wall around Russia.
- Ukraine is simultaneously absorbing Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv and Dnipro, deploying interceptor systems to protect US bases in Jordan, and fielding military aid requests from eleven nations — all while its own peace talks sit in a waiting room.
- The US has asked Kyiv to postpone ceasefire negotiations, its diplomatic bandwidth consumed by the Iran conflict, leaving Ukraine to fight on multiple fronts — geographic, military, and now geopolitical — without a clear path forward.
- From the frozen £2.5 billion in Roman Abramovich's Chelsea sale proceeds to Russia's contested return to the Venice Biennale, the edges of this war continue to press into culture, finance, and the question of what accountability ultimately looks like.
Donald Trump stepped before reporters in Florida on Monday with a characteristically elliptical announcement: the United States would lift oil sanctions on unnamed countries to help ease the energy crisis triggered by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. "We're going to take those sanctions off until the strait is up," he said, offering no names, no timeline, and no further detail. The markets, however, understood the implication — multiple sources told Reuters the move could substantially ease restrictions on Russian oil exports, threatening to unravel years of Western economic pressure on Moscow.
The backdrop was urgent. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to most tankers, crude prices had rocketed past $100 a barrel — their highest since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A White House plan to provide naval escorts through the strait had failed to restore meaningful traffic, and a temporary waiver already allowed India to purchase certain Russian oil cargoes. Trump's instinct, it appeared, was to widen that crack considerably.
Trump described his call with Putin as positive, particularly on Ukraine — "a never-ending fight," he called it. Putin's adviser characterized the exchange as frank and businesslike, lasting roughly an hour. Putin used the moment to position Russia as a reliable energy supplier to Europe and to suggest Russian companies should capitalize on Middle Eastern disruption, while acknowledging the price spike would likely prove temporary.
For Ukraine, the picture was more complicated. President Zelenskyy revealed that Kyiv had sent interceptor drones and operators to protect US military bases in Jordan — a response to an American request — and that eleven countries had sought Ukrainian military assistance as the Iran conflict entered its tenth day. Satellite imagery suggested Iranian strikes had damaged US Thaad radar systems in Jordan. Even as Ukraine extended itself across the region, Zelenskyy said his country remained ready to resume peace talks with Russia "at any moment." The US, consumed by the Middle East, had asked to postpone the next meeting.
At home, the war continued without pause. A Russian drone struck near a Kharkiv apartment building, injuring six people including a child and setting cars alight. Russian shelling of Dnipro wounded seven more. Kharkiv, just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has endured relentless bombardment since 2022.
The war's reach extended further still. Ukraine urged the Venice Biennale to reverse Russia's readmission to the prestigious exhibition, calling it a whitewashing of war crimes. In London, Roman Abramovich escalated his dispute over the £2.5 billion proceeds from his forced sale of Chelsea Football Club — funds Britain wants ringfenced for Ukraine reconstruction, but which Abramovich is pushing to deploy more flexibly. The question of who controls that money, and toward what end, remains unresolved — a small but telling emblem of the larger reckoning the world has yet to complete.
Donald Trump emerged from a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday with a message for the markets: the United States would lift oil sanctions on unnamed countries to help ease the global energy shortage triggered by the escalating US-Israeli war against Iran. Standing before reporters in Florida, Trump was characteristically vague about the scope and timing. "We have sanctions on some countries," he said. "We're going to take those sanctions off until the strait is up." He offered nothing more—no names, no timeline, no explanation of which countries might benefit or how long the relief would last.
The announcement sent a tremor through the energy world, though not an entirely surprising one. Multiple sources told Reuters that the move could substantially ease restrictions on Russian oil exports, a development that threatens to undermine years of Western efforts to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The irony was sharp: as the US and its allies have worked to isolate Russia economically, a new crisis—this one in the Middle East—was creating pressure to do the opposite. Other options on the table included releasing oil from America's strategic reserves or capping US exports, but Trump's instinct appeared to favor the sanctions route.
The context was urgent. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively blocked to most oil tankers, crude prices had rocketed past $100 a barrel on Monday, their highest point since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The blockade had already forced the US to issue a temporary waiver allowing India to purchase certain Russian oil cargoes, a small crack in the sanctions wall that now threatened to widen considerably. A White House plan to provide naval escorts and insurance backstops for tankers navigating the strait had failed to significantly restore traffic through this vital chokepoint.
Trump characterized his conversation with Putin as positive, particularly on the subject of Ukraine. "We were talking about Ukraine, which is just a never-ending fight," he told reporters. "But I think it was a positive call on that subject." Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the exchange as "frank and businesslike" and said it lasted roughly an hour. Putin used the occasion to remind the world that Russia remained ready to supply oil and gas to Europe and cautioned that production dependent on Hormuz transit could soon halt entirely. He also suggested Russian companies should capitalize on Middle Eastern turmoil, though he acknowledged that the current price spike would likely prove temporary.
Meanwhile, Ukraine was navigating a far more complicated diplomatic landscape. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that he had sent interceptor drones and operators to protect US military bases in Jordan, responding to an American request for help as the Iran conflict entered its tenth day. Eleven countries—neighbors of Iran, European states, and the US itself—had asked Kyiv for military assistance, Zelenskyy said, and Ukraine had met some of those requests with concrete support. Satellite imagery showed that Iranian attacks had damaged or possibly disabled radar systems on US Thaad air defense equipment stationed in Jordan. Yet even as Ukraine extended itself militarily across the region, Zelenskyy indicated his country was ready to resume peace talks with Russia "at any moment." The US, however, had asked to postpone an upcoming meeting, its attention consumed by the Middle East crisis.
Back in Ukraine itself, the war ground on with its familiar brutality. A Russian drone struck an area near a high-rise apartment building in Kharkiv on Monday, injuring six people, including a small child, and setting cars ablaze. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has endured relentless air attacks since Russia's initial push in early 2022. The same day, Russian shelling of Dnipro in the southeast wounded seven more people, leaving streets littered with rubble and building facades scarred by shrapnel.
Elsewhere, the war's ripples continued to spread. Ukraine's government urged organizers of the Venice Biennale to reconsider Russia's participation in the prestigious art exhibition, arguing that allowing Russian participation would amount to "whitewashing war crimes." The Biennale's decision to permit Russia to exhibit—the first time since 2022—had already drawn criticism from Italy's culture ministry and others. In London, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich escalated his dispute with the British government over the £2.5 billion proceeds from his forced sale of Chelsea Football Club. Though UK and EU sanctions had frozen his assets in 2022, the money from the club sale had remained locked in a British bank account. Britain wanted the funds ringfenced exclusively for Ukraine reconstruction, but Abramovich was pushing for greater flexibility in how the money could be deployed. The question of who controlled that money—and for what purpose—remained unresolved, a small but telling symbol of the larger struggle over how the world would reckon with Russia's war.
Notable Quotes
We have sanctions on some countries. We're going to take those sanctions off until the strait is up.— Donald Trump
Ukraine is ready for new US-backed peace talks with Russia at any moment, but the US has asked to postpone an upcoming meeting.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Trump ease sanctions on Russian oil now, when Russia is still fighting Ukraine? Doesn't that undermine everything the West has been trying to do?
The immediate pressure is the Iran crisis. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, global oil prices are spiking past $100 a barrel. Trump sees sanctions relief as a quick way to calm the market. Russia happens to be the world's second-largest oil exporter, so easing restrictions on Russian oil becomes a tool to stabilize energy prices—even if it helps Moscow.
But couldn't he just release oil from America's strategic reserves instead?
He could, and that's one option being discussed. But sanctions relief is faster and doesn't deplete US reserves. It also signals to Putin that Trump is willing to work with him, which aligns with Trump's stated desire for a quick Ukraine settlement.
What does this mean for Ukraine's position in any peace negotiations?
It weakens it considerably. Ukraine's leverage has always rested partly on Western unity in isolating Russia economically. If sanctions start eroding—especially on something as vital as oil—Ukraine loses a key bargaining chip. Zelenskyy is already saying he's ready to talk "at any moment," but from a weaker position.
Is there any chance this is temporary, just until the Iran situation stabilizes?
Trump said the sanctions would stay off "until the strait is up," meaning until the blockade ends. But energy crises don't resolve quickly, and once sanctions are lifted, they're politically hard to reimpose. What starts as temporary often becomes permanent.
What's Ukraine doing while all this unfolds?
Trying to stay relevant. Zelenskyy is sending military support to eleven countries affected by Iranian attacks, including the US. It's a way of saying: we're still a useful ally, even if your attention is elsewhere. But it also means Ukraine's military resources are stretched thinner, and the US is asking to postpone peace talks. Ukraine is being sidelined by events it didn't create.