According to Commerzbank commodity analyst Carsten Fritsch, there’s only a slim chance that the US will impose stricter sanctions on Russia anytime soon. To significantly reduce Russian oil revenues, key buyers would need to stop their purchases—but that seems unlikely for now.
One possible approach would be to introduce sanctions or secondary tariffs on countries continuing to buy Russian oil. Over the weekend, US President Trump floated the idea of strong sanctions against Russia—but only if all NATO countries agreed to join and halted their oil imports as well.
However, that scenario seems improbable in the near term. In a recent address, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen dismissed secondary tariffs as a viable tool for political leverage. As a result, these measures are not expected to be part of the EU’s upcoming 19th sanctions package currently under discussion.
Additionally, NATO member Turkey is unlikely to voluntarily stop purchasing Russian oil. At the moment, there’s little indication that the US is planning to ramp up sanctions.
Image Suggestion for the Article:
To visually support this article, consider using one of the following types of images:
- Oil tanker with Russian flag – Symbolizes Russian oil exports.
- Map showing Russia, Turkey, EU, and the US – Highlights geopolitical connections.
- Photo of oil barrels with NATO or EU symbols – Represents the political-economic intersection.
- Silhouettes of oil pumps at sunset – A classic, neutral energy-related image.
- Split image: Russian oil industry on one side, political meeting or NATO flags on the other – Illustrates the tension between commerce and geopolitics.