US energy chief says sanctioning Russian oil to end Ukraine war a possibility

WASHINGTON: U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Fox News on Tuesday that sanctioning Russian oil to end the Ukraine war is a "very real possibility."

AI Brief

Trump threatens 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil unless Moscow agrees to a major Ukraine peace deal by early September.
US energy dominance gives Washington leverage to take tougher actions that were not possible before.
So far, the Trump administration has focused oil sanctions more on Iran than on Russia.

President Donald Trump said this month that Washington could put 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil and impose other sanctions if Moscow does not agree to a major peace agreement with Ukraine, a deadline that ends in early September.

"It is huge pressure on Russia," Wright said in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier."

"That's the biggest pressure you can put on them," Wright said.

The U.S. is the world's top producer of oil and gas, a position Wright said means the U.S. can take action that was previously unthinkable.

"We're able to do things that we couldn't do before," he said.

Despite that position, the Trump administration has not yet put major oil sanctions on Russia, preferring to impose them on OPEC producer Iran since the president took office for a second time in January.