Merkel said the sanctions against Russia by the European Union show Europe is serious, but Europe's sanctions are weaker than America's. The EU imposed sanctions on the people in Ukraine directly causing the violence, while the US targeted more of Russian Vladimir Putin's inner circle, including Rosneft's President and Chairman Igor Sechin. Rosneft is Russia's top petroleum company with heavily invested interests with ExxonMobil and British Petroleum. In fact, ExxonMobil's $600 million deal with Rosneft to drill in Russia's Arctic might be in jeopardy. The Treasury Department told ExxonMobil they can continue business with Rosneft, but the threat of more sanctions and exactly how sanctions work might provide a challenge. If a company with a large interest in the US is caught doing business with anyone on a sanction list, that company can face its own penalties.