White House to Impose Secondary Sanctions on Buyers of Russian Oil

White House Press Secretary Karine Leavitt said Thursday that the United States will apply secondary sanctions on countries and entities that continue to purchase Russian crude. Leavitt did not specify a start date or outline the scope of the measures, but emphasized that the penalties will be directed at buyers of Russian oil rather than Moscow itself. Secondary sanctions typically restrict targeted firms’ or governments’ access to U.S. financial markets and other dollar-denominated transactions, significantly raising the cost of doing business with the sanctioned party. The announcement marks a further tightening of U.S. energy-related restrictions on Russia.