"Sanctions do nothing more than actually bring China and Russia closer together," Papadopoulos said.
China is currently the main competitor of the United States on the world stage, and pushing Russia to boost relations with it does nothing for the US in terms of leverage, the former advisor added.
On October 22, the US imposed sanctions on Russia's Lukoil and Rosneft, marking the first time the second Trump administration has targeted Russia with restrictions.