Ukraine war briefing: Trump set to ease oil-related sanctions following Putin call | Russia

Following a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump said the US will waive oil-related sanctions on “some countries” to ease the shortage sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Trump told reporters in Florida on Monday: “So we have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off until the strait [of Hormuz] is up.” He declined to provide further details. The move could mean a further easing of sanctions on Russian oil, Reuters reported, citing multiple sources, which in turn could complicate efforts to punish Moscow for its war in Ukraine. Other options to calm the market include a possible release of oil from strategic reserves or restricting US exports, sources said. Last week the US issued a temporary waiver allowing India to purchase certain Russian oil cargoes to help it cope with the loss of Middle Eastern supply. With the strait of Hormuz blocked to nearly all oil tankers, the price of benchmark crude oil contracts rocketed past $100 a barrel on Monday – their highest levels since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – before pulling back. A previously announced White House plan to provide naval escorts and backstop insurance for tankers travelling through the strait has so far has failed to significantly boost shipping traffic through the vital waterway.

The US president said the conversation with his Russian counterpart was upbeat, adding: “We were talking about Ukraine, which is just a never-ending fight. But I think it was a positive call on that subject.” Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov described the conversation as “frank and businesslike” and said it lasted about one hour.

Putin signalled again that Russia was ready to supply oil and gas to Europe, saying the Iran war had caused a global energy crisis and cautioned that oil production dependent on transport through the strait of Hormuz could soon come to a complete halt. Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter and holds the world’s biggest reserves of natural gas. Putin also said Russian companies should take advantage of the situation in the Middle East, though he noted that the spike in prices was probably temporary in character.

Ukraine’s president has said he sent interceptor drones and operators to protect US bases in Jordan last week, one of 11 countries that had asked Kyiv for help as the US-Israeli war against Iran continued into its 10th day. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that he had responded to a US request for help in defending Jordan last week as Ukraine seeks to improve relations with Gulf and Middle Eastern countries coming under attack from Iran. Zelenskyy posted on social media that “there are 11 requests from countries neighbouring Iran, European states, and the US” and that some had been met with “concrete decisions and specific support”. Satellite imagery indicates that the radar used by a US Thaad air defence system at the base in Jordan was damaged or even knocked out by Iranian attacks, one of several apparently hit across the region.

Ukraine was ready for new US-backed peace talks with Russia “at any moment”, but its partners’ attention was now focused on the Iran conflict, Zelenskyy said on Monday, saying the US had asked to postpone an upcoming meeting.

Six people were injured and cars were set ablaze when a Russian drone struck an area near a high-rise apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, on Monday, the city’s mayor said. Ihor Terekhov said a small child was among the injured. Kharkiv, located 30km (18 miles) from the Russian border, withstood early advances by Russian forces in February 2022 and has since been a frequent target of Russian air attacks. Separately, Russian shelling of the south-eastern city of Dnipro injured seven people, regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha said on Telegram. Ganzha posted photos online showing rubble in streets and damaged building facades.

Ukraine has urged organisers of the Venice Biennale to reconsider Russia’s participation in the prestigious art exhibition, arguing that it must not become “a stage for whitewashing … war crimes”. Biennale organisers said last week that Russia would be allowed to take part in the event, held from 9 May until 22 November, triggering widespread criticism, including from Italy’s culture ministry, which said it opposed the decision. Previously, the organisers never formally barred Russia from participating, but the country was absent in 2022 and 2024.

The Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has stepped up his row with the British government over the £2.5bn proceeds of his sale of Chelsea FC, insisting the money is his to allocate despite the international sanctions imposed on his assets over the Ukraine war. The UK and EU imposed sanctions on Abramovich in 2022, over his ties to Putin’s regime, leading to the sale of the Premier League club to a consortium. However, the £2.5bn raised by the sale has remained locked in a UK bank account. Britain wants the money ringfenced for use only in Ukraine but Abramovich has indicated that he wants more flexibility over how the money would be spent.