Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary Scott Bessent hit out at the Kremlin after a Russian envoy tried to dismiss the impact of the US’s new sanctions on Moscow.

The White House implemented fresh sanctions against Russia for the first time last week, punishing its oil companies in the hope of pushing Vladimir Putin to end his war in Ukraine .

In a move much welcomed by his European allies who have also increased economic pressure on Moscow, Trump froze all US-based assets of Russia’s two largest oil firms – Rosneft and Lukoil.

The US also made it possible for secondary penalties on foreign institutions which could conduct transactions with entities on the blacklist.

It was a surprising move from the US president, considering he has often expressed sympathy for the Russian invasion o

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