WASHINGTON, United States: The administration of US President Donald Trump granted a one-month sanctions waiver permitting the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products already at sea, extending an earlier measure aimed at easing rising energy prices.
The authorisation, issued by the United States Department of the Treasury, comes just two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that Washington would not continue the waiver, reports The New York Times.
Under the updated licence, oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels by Friday can be purchased until 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on May 16.
This decision extends a previous sanctions relief measure that had expired on April 11.
However, Bessent told reporters on Wednesday that the United States would not prolong such waivers for Russian or Iranian oil, according to AP News.
Both steps were intended to address global supply disruptions.
Petrol prices in the United States have also risen, increasing strain on households ahead of this year’s key midterm elections.
Following a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers in Washington this week, French Finance Minister Roland Lescure stressed that “Russia mustn’t be getting benefits from what’s happening in Iran.”
He added that Ukraine should also not be “collateral damage.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched in 2022, remains the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
