US sanctions Russia's Rosneft subsidiary over Venezuela trade

The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions against a subsidiary of Russian state-controlled oil giant Rosneft over its continued trade with Venezuela in defiance of Washington's attempt to break leftist President Nicolas Maduro's grip on power.

Officials in President Donald Trump's administration said Rosneft Trading SA and Rosneft vice president Didier Casimiro were targeted in the latest measures.

One official, speaking on condition of not being identified, called Rosneft Trading SA "the prime culprit" in helping Maduro escape the effect of US economic sanctions.

This is "sending a message that we will not stand idly by as foreign, extra-continental or other entities help the Maduro regime maintain and sustain its repression," he told reporters.

"Rosneft Trading has been the overwhelming provider of trading in the Maduro regime oil and has provided the overwhelming amount of financial resources and hard currency that has been coming in to the Maduro regime.

Therefore this action should have a signficant impact on the Maduro regime," the official said.

Another adminstration official, who also asked not to be named, said the sanctions would hit Rosneft Trading SA business in the United States, but also send ripple effects through the company's wider activities.

"The designation of Rosneft Trading and Didier Casimiro means that anyone outside the United States ... runs the risk of being sanctioned themselves," the official said.

Moscow's support for the Maduro government "is having huge consequences for them," one of the adminstration officials briefing reporters said.

The official said the United States is determined to bring down Maduro through its maximum pressure campaign, which currently is at "50 to 60 percent."