White House: Trump team briefed on sanctions on Russia's energy sector

The current administration of US leader Joe Biden has notified the team of US President-elect Donald Trump about the introduction of new sanctions against Russia's energy sector. This was stated by the coordinator for strategic communications of the US National Security Council John Kirby during a briefing on January 14.

"This applies to the decision on sanctions on the energy sector of Russia - they have been fully briefed on what we are doing and why we are doing it," RIA Novosti quotes the coordinator as saying.

He specified that the current White House administration notifies Trump's representatives about all actions of Biden and his team, which are in one way or another related to the security of the United States.

Last chord: Biden administration imposes sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil sector

However, their future fate will depend on the decisions of US President-elect Donald Trump

Earlier, on January 14, Sovcomflot (SCF) pointed out that the US sanctions imposed on SCF Group of Companies (SCFG) are illegal because it complies with all laws and requirements of both national and international law.

Prior to that, on January 10, the US and the UK expanded sanctions against Russia. The list included Gazprom Neft and its head Alexander Dyukov, Surgutneftegaz, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev, as well as 100 Russian tankers.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the restrictions, pointed out that Washington is trying to undermine the positions of Russian energy companies with the help of sanctions. The presidential spokesman emphasized that Rosatom is one of the leaders of the global nuclear market and will continue its work despite any restrictions.

Rosatom noted that the state corporation perceives the new restrictions as an element of unfair competition. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia that Biden's new sanctions on the eve of his resignation from the presidency were not going to "leave a trace in history," but "only a legacy."

Later, on January 13, Bloomberg reported that oil prices reached a five-month high due to the new U.S. anti-Russian sanctions. For example, this Brent fuel was trading above $80 per barrel, and over January 10, the cost of this oil rose by 4%.

Western countries have tightened sanctions pressure on Russia in connection with the special operation to protect Donbass. The decision to launch it was announced on February 24, 2022 after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.