“Fake News” on Missiles, Real Sanctions on Oil: Trump’s Mixed Message on Russia

President Trump delivered a mixed message on Russia policy Wednesday, angrily denying a “FAKE NEWS!” story about missile use in Ukraine while his administration simultaneously unleashed major new sanctions against Moscow’s oil industry.
On social media, the president forcefully refuted a story that he had approved Ukraine’s use of British missiles deep inside Russia. “The U.S. has nothing to do with those missiles,” he insisted, pushing back against claims of escalation.
However, his administration was actively escalating on the economic front. The Treasury Department announced sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia’s top oil producers, in a bid to “cut key revenues” financing the war.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for an “immediate ceasefire” and warned more actions could follow. This economic attack followed President Trump’s confirmation that he had canceled a planned summit with Vladimir Putin because negotiations were not progressing.
This flurry of activity—denying military escalation, canceling diplomacy, and imposing economic penalties—highlights the complex and often contradictory “pendulum swing” of the administration’s approach to the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine.