Merz and Trump: Historical meeting to combat Russian oil imports!

Merz and Trump: Historical meeting to combat Russian oil imports!

USA - The visit of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) at the US President Donald Trump on June 6, 2025 are all about improving economic relationships and a joint approach to Russia in the Ukraine War. Merz optimistically commented on the progress of the sanction efforts of the US congress after a proposal in the Senate was discussed, which provides extreme tariffs of 500 percent for buyers of Russian oil and gas. U.S. majority leader John Thune has had discussions with the White House. These tariffs should mainly affect countries that acquire Russian export goods such as oil, gas and uranium, with China and India currently making up around 70 percent of the international energy trade with Russia.

Trump has asked Thune not to bring the draft law to vote for the time being, but Merz expects the support of over 80 US senators for this customs initiative. The EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the United States was willing to act together on sanction measures against Russia. In the past, the EU has already passed 17 sanction packages that include measures against the so -called shadow fleet.

Current sanction packages against Russia

A new sanction package in the USA was already adopted in January 2025 to counteract the "shadow fleet" that the western oil embargo. These measures are intended to reduce Russia's income from the oil business, which in turn are used to finance the Ukraine War. The oil price has reached a high in the past few months, with a current Brent oil price of $ 81.50 per barrel. Experts from Goldman Sachs forecast the price at short notice between $ 70 and $ 85.

As part of these sanctions, 183 oil tankers were sanctioned, which belong to the shadow fleet. These ships transported over 530 million barrels of Russian crude oil last year, with the majority to export to China and India. Kremlin representatives criticized the sanctions as a distortion of competition. Despite these measures, Russia increased its income from oil and gas sales to 11.13 trillion rubles in 2024, which corresponds to an increase of 26 percent compared to the previous year

long -term consequences of the sanctions

In addition to the economic measures, the western sanctions have far -reaching effects on Russia. With currently over 12,000 sanctions imposed, the country has the most worldwide. This is shown in a drastic decline in foreign trade; Russian exports have dropped by 36 percent, while imports have decreased by more than 30 percent. Companies such as Aldi, BASF and Henkel have completely withdrawn from the Russian market, which further increases the international isolation of Russia.

The persistent sanctions have led to a significant economic loss. Studies show that long -term loss of prosperity in Russia is around 1.5 percent. While many western states position themselves against Russia, the country remains supported by a few non-Western states. These developments indicate that the economic tensions could remain for a long time as long as the conflict in Ukraine is not solved.

For the coming months, it remains to be seen how the political discussions in the United States and the reactions of Russia will develop on the continued exacerbated economic measures. While the international looks are focused on these issues, the potential for a de -escalation of the situation is low.