On Thursday, October 23, the Russian stock market opened lower as investors reacted to new geopolitical pressures from the US and the European Union. The MOEX index fell over 100 points at the start of the main session, reaching 2,559 points, according to trading data.
Just last week, after a conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing planned negotiations in Budapest, Russian stocks surged. The MOEX index, previously at its lowest level since December 2024, gained about 200 points over two days.
However, the market correction followed Trump’s statement that he would not meet with Putin in the near future, citing doubts about the effectiveness of negotiations.
“It seemed to me that we would not achieve what we needed to,” he explained.
Simultaneously, the US imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies, which the Treasury Department described as a response to Russia’s “lack of serious interest in the peace process.” Additionally, the EU approved the 19th sanctions package, targeting primarily Russia’s energy exports and adding new financial sector restrictions.
Throughout 2025, communication between Trump and Putin has been a key factor influencing Russian investor sentiment. The most significant surge in the MOEX index occurred during the Alaska summit in August. However, each round of negotiations was followed by corrections as the positions of both sides remained largely unchanged.
