International Press Review for October 20 – 31, 2025
- Anton Kuchuhidze
- Oct 30
- 4 min read
Among the main topics actively covered by leading Western media were the introduction of new sanctions against russian oil companies, the lifting of restrictions on the use of long-range missiles by Ukrainian forces, and the financing of arms purchases for Ukraine from the proceeds of frozen russian assets.
Le Monde reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed tough sanctions on russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, saying that putin has not been honest in peace talks on Ukraine. This decision was made after the cancellation of the planned summit in Budapest, which demonstrated Washington's growing frustration with the lack of progress in establishing a ceasefire.
Trump, who had previously refrained from sanctions in the hope of achieving a diplomatic settlement, said his patience had run out. He called the new measures "powerful" but expressed hope that they would be short-lived if the war ended. At the same time, the European Union announced its own package of sanctions, which includes a ban on imports of russian liquefied gas until 2027, the blacklisting of russian tankers, and visa restrictions for russian diplomats.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has lifted restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ use of certain long-range missiles provided by Western allies, allowing Kyiv to strike targets on russian territory.
At the same time, Ukraine is actively using its own drones and domestically produced missiles to strike russian oil refineries and military infrastructure. NATO representatives stressed that Kyiv “does not need permission” from the West to destroy legitimate military targets on the aggressor’s territory.
According to the Financial Times, the European Union has proposed using part of the planned €140 billion loan, secured by frozen russian assets, to purchase American weapons for Ukraine. According to a European Commission document, most of the funds are planned to be used to purchase weapons and support the defense industries of Ukraine and Europe.
Recent weeks have seen increased international pressure on russia through the active use of sanctions and financial instruments, as well as increased defense support for Ukraine. The U.S. and the EU are coordinating efforts to strengthen Kyiv's defense capabilities while mobilizing resources, including frozen russian assets, to purchase weapons and support Ukraine's recovery.
Wednesday’s sanctions cut off the Russian firms from American banking systems and financial institutions, essentially barring them from operating in U.S. dollars. Violators, including foreign financial institutions, can be subject to stiff penalties, including cascading sanctions. Individuals can be subject to criminal prosecution.
“These are tremendous sanctions. These are very big,” Trump said in the Oval Office during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who organized a last-minute trip to the White House to shore up support for Ukraine. “Those are against their two big oil companies, and we hope that they won’t be on for long. We hope that the war will be settled.”
The Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, enabling Kyiv to step up attacks on targets inside Russia and increase pressure on the Kremlin, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
Ukraine used a British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missile on Tuesday to strike a Russian plant in Bryansk that produced explosives and rocket fuel, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on social media. It called the strike a “successful hit” that penetrated Russian air defenses.
The unannounced U.S. move to enable Kyiv to use the missile in Russia comes after authority for supporting such attacks was recently transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to the top U.S. general in Europe, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who also serves as NATO commander.
United States President Donald Trump has slapped major sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies after concluding that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not being "honest and forthright" in Ukraine talks, the US treasury chief said on Wednesday, October 22. The sanctions came a day after a planned Trump-Putin summit in Budapest was shelved, with Washington expressing its disappointment at the lack of progress in ceasefire negotiations with Moscow.
Trump has held off on new sanctions for months, saying he hoped to persuade Russian President Putin to make peace despite growing frustration with the Kremlin leader. But the 79-year-old Republican's patience apparently ran out in the space of the six days since he spoke to Putin by telephone last Thursday.
The EU has offered to use part of a proposed €140bn loan backed by Russia’s frozen assets to buy US weapons for Ukraine, provided Washington keeps supporting Kyiv in defending itself against Russia.
The proposal, made to EU ambassadors on Friday, comes as European allies were blindsided by US President Donald Trump agreeing to meet his Russian counterpart in Hungary in a bid to end the war in Ukraine.
To date, the European Union has wisely resisted confiscating the estimated €210 billion ($245 billion) in frozen assets — most of which has matured into cash and is being held in Belgium’s Euroclear. Seizing the funds outright, however satisfying, would likely violate international law, unsettle global markets and set a precedent that could backfire on Western nations.
Instead, EU officials are considering a more pragmatic idea: to unlock an estimated €135 billion in interest-free “reparations loans” to Ukraine by swapping the cash assets for guarantees to Euroclear. The principal will remain intact, thus avoiding legal pitfalls that stymied earlier proposals. Repayment wouldn’t be expected until Russia offers reparations for its unprovoked invasion, as demanded by a United Nations resolution.
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