Kremlin henchman’s PR tour backfires as Trump’s oil sanctions bite: ‘Feel the pain immediately’
Russian financier Kirill Dmitriev held meetings with US officials after the Trump administration issued new sanction on Russian oil. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Vladimir Putin is reeling from the impact of President Trump’s new oil sanctions, prompting the Russian leader to send one of his top operatives on a high-profile charm offensive across the United States.
Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin-linked financier who previously acted as Moscow’s backchannel to Washington, spent the weekend meeting with Trump officials and appearing in media interviews in an effort to soften the blow of the sanctions.
The effort backfired spectacularly. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent labeled Dmitriev a “Russian propagandist,” while NATO Ambassador Matt Whitaker made it clear that the administration’s energy crackdown would continue unabated. On “Face the Nation,” Bessent mocked Dmitriev’s claim that the sanctions would have “absolutely no effect on Russia’s economy” and merely drive up gas prices in the U.S.
“I think Russia is going to feel the pain immediately,” Bessent said, adding pointedly, “Are you really going to publish what a Russian propagandist says?” He continued, “The Russian economy is a wartime economy. Growth is virtually zero. Inflation is over 20%, and everything we do is designed to bring Putin to the table. It’s oil that funds the Russian war machine, and we can make a substantial dent in his profits.”
Market reactions support Bessent’s assessment. Lukoil and Rosneft, Russia’s two largest oil companies, have lost $11.5 billion in combined market value since the sanctions were imposed, according to the Moscow Times. On Monday, Rosneft shares fell roughly 5.6% to 368.4 rubles, the lowest since March 2023, while Lukoil dropped 6.5% following a 12.2% plunge last week.
Whitaker emphasized that Dmitriev’s rushed trip underscores the leverage President Trump now holds. “The Russians are not showing strength—they look weak,” Whitaker said on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing. “President Trump’s significant oil sanctions are hitting them hard, and every move they make shows it. They should end this war before it costs them more lives and territory.”
Analysts echoed that Putin’s decision to send Dmitriev signals a Kremlin struggling under mounting economic pressure. George Barros, lead of the Russia team at the Institute for the Study of War, told The Post, “It’s clear the White House has strategic clarity. Moscow is not willing to negotiate beyond American concessions or a Ukrainian surrender, and the administration won’t let them waste President Trump’s time dragging out the process.”
Even where Dmitriev managed to secure meetings—with Rep. Anna Paulina Lune (R-Fla.) and Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff—experts said his mission yielded little. John Hardie, director of the Russia program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said, “Dmitriev largely stuck his foot in his mouth. His meetings and messaging came across as pathetic and tone-deaf, and he achieved almost nothing in persuading Washington to ease pressure on Moscow.”
The message is clear: President Trump’s sanctions are biting, Putin is feeling the sting, and the Kremlin is under growing pressure to respond.
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