ANDENES, Norway — European leaders rounded on the Trump administration Friday for temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to bring down surging energy prices amid the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy all denounced the decision to allow the delivery and sale of Russian oil stranded at sea, which will allow the Kremlin to replenish its war chest for the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“We think that’s wrong,” Merz said, speaking alongside Norwegian Prime Minster Jonas Gahr Støre. “There is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem. And in that regard, I would like to know what other factors led the U.S. government to make this decision.”
Merz said the decision by the U.S. administration had come as a surprise Friday morning, crushing his hopes that Washington might refrain from taking such steps, as other G7 members had strongly urged Trump not to ease the pressure on Moscow during a joint video call Wednesday.
