Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on two of Russia’s biggest oil companies is “an act of war”, a key Vladimir Putin ally has declared.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia, hit out after Trump made the shock announcement on Wednesday night.

“Today is a very big day in terms of what we’re doing,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Look, these are tremendous sanctions. These are very big.”

The move makes it harder for the two companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, to sell oil to other countries, dealing a huge blow to the Russian economy.

The move came a day after Trump scrapped plans for another peace summit with Putin aimed at agreeing a deal to end the Ukraine war.

Russia has rejected Trump’s proposal of ending the war on the current battle lines, as Putin wa

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