German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he’s optimistic that the US will exempt Rosneft PJSC’s German unit from Washington’s latest sanctions against Russia.

Trump “is seriously breaking the ice with these measures,” former Russian deputy energy minister Vladimir Milov told Newsweek.

Russia's top economic negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, arrives in the US for talks after Washington sanctioned Russia's two largest oil producers.

Oil prices on Friday posted their biggest weekly gains since June, after the U.S. imposed sanctions Wednesday on Russia’s Rosn

The Trump administration announced sanctions on Russia’s biggest oil producers, rolling out its first major package of financial punishments on President Vladimir Putin’s economy as part of a fresh push to end the war in Ukraine.

Germany is seeking an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian oil company Rosneft's German business, a person with direct knowledge of the government discussions said on Thursday, after banks said sanctions could stop them dealing with the local energy supplier.

Kirill Dmitriev, a close Putin ally, says trip was scheduled before Treasury slapped restrictions on Rosneft and Lukoil