The United States has again temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil, issuing a new exemption that allows certain shipments already at sea to be delivered and sold. The decision was made by the US Treasury Department at a time when Washington publicly insists it is keeping up the pressure on the Kremlin.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on April 17 published General Licence 134b, which allows transactions involving Russian crude oil and petroleum products loaded onto ships as of that date. The exemption is valid until 16 May and replaces the previous licence, which expired on 11 April.
The renewed licence is narrow – it applies only to oil already loaded onto ships – but critics say reapplying such exemptions risks undermining the broader sanctions regime put in place after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Leading Democrats in the Senate, including Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and Gene Shagin, denounced the decision as a “180-degree U-turn,” arguing that it sends a mixed message as Russia continues its military campaign against Ukraine.
“This decision is disgraceful,” they said in a joint statement, pointing out that Russian attacks on Ukraine continue and that easing sanctions could continue the war.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on 15 April that Washington would not renew exemptions that allowed the purchase of Iranian and Russian oil without US sanctions.