Photo: Getty Images
US President Donald Trump said that Washington could soon restore sanctions on Russian oil once the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened to international shipping, according to Euronews.
“We’ll be able to do that because oil is flowing now. We lifted the sanctions because, obviously, we didn’t want to interfere with the flow [of oil], so we have the ability to do it very soon,” Trump said after meetings on Ukraine and the Middle East during the G7 summit.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, the United States has reportedly eased restrictions on Russian oil exports three times. The moves drew criticism from Ukraine and its allies, who have been calling for stronger economic pressure on Moscow.
Trump suggested that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would reduce concerns about global oil supply disruptions, giving the US more room to tighten sanctions on Russian energy exports again.
The US president also said that the conflict with Iran is becoming a secondary issue and that he wants to focus on ending the war in Ukraine. During the G7 summit, he held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
