US Quietly Renews Russian Oil Waiver Amid Market Turmoil, Policy Confusion
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WASHINGTON -- The United States has again temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil, issuing a new waiver that allows certain shipments already at sea to be delivered and sold, even as Washington publicly insists it is maintaining pressure on the Kremlin.
On April 17, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released General License 134B, authorizing transactions tied to Russian crude and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of that date. The waiver runs...
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Russia US Quietly Renews Russian Oil Waiver Amid Market Turmoil, Policy Confusion By Alex Raufoglu April 18, 2026 05:12 CET Listen 6 min This audio is automated Learn more US Quietly Renews Russian Oil Waiver Amid Market Turmoil, Policy Confusion Share Share Print WASHINGTON -- The United States has again temporarily eased sanctions on Russian oil, issuing a new waiver that allows certain shipments already at sea to be delivered and sold, even as Washington publicly insists it is maintaining pressure on the Kremlin. On April 17, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released General License 134B, authorizing transactions tied to Russian crude and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of that date. The waiver runs through May 16 and replaces a previous license that expired on April 11. SEE ALSO: Russian Lawyer Who Lashed Out At Putin Released From Mental Hospital The move comes at a moment of sharp volatility in global energy markets, driven in part by tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran. Oil prices dropped significantly the same day the waiver was announced after Iran signaled that the key shipping route would reopen to commercial traffic. Policy Reversal Raises Questions The timing has fueled confusion in Washington. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had told reporters the administration would not extend the earlier waiver, signaling what appeared to be a firmer stance on Russian energy exports. That position has now shifted. The renewed license is narrowly tailored -- it applies only to oil already loaded onto ships -- but critics say the repeated use of such waivers risks undermining the broader sanctions regime imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. SEE ALSO: US Lawmaker Wilson Flags Western Chips Still Flowing Into Russian, Iranian Drones Leading Senate Democrats, including Chuck Schumer of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Jeanne Shah...
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