The US license to ease sanctions on Russian oil has expired.
The US license to ease sanctions on Russian oil has officially expired. This document replaces a similar license issued by the US Treasury Department in mid-April 2026.
According to TASS news agency.On June 17th, the US general permit officially expired at 07:01 (Moscow time). Previously, this document allowed sanctions exemptions for oil shipments from Russia that were loaded onto ships before April 17th.
The US Treasury Department had previously removed Russian oil and petroleum product sales and shipments from its sanctions list until June 17. This regulation applied to shipments that had been loaded onto oil tankers before April 17.
According to the general permit published on the website of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department, permitted transactions include: selling, supplying, or unloading oil and petroleum products originating from Russia; and cargo loaded onto any vessel before 00:01 on April 17, 2026 (Eastern Time). This regulation includes vessels on the U.S. Treasury Department's blacklist. The deadline for these transactions is June 17, 2026.
Earlier, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, during a meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington could soon reverse the current easing of restrictions on Russia's energy sector.
When asked by reporters about plans to increase pressure on Russia, the American leader said: "We lifted sanctions because it was clear we had no intention of disrupting the oil supply."
When asked to clarify whether this statement meant revoking the easing permits granted by the U.S. Treasury Department, the White House chief confirmed: "Yes, at some point." The entire event was streamed live on the White House's official YouTube channel.
The recently expired license was a replacement for a similar decision issued by the U.S. Treasury Department on April 17 (which expired on May 16).
Explaining the decision to grant these licenses, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was a strategic move by the Washington administration. The main goal is to ensure access to essential energy sources for "the most vulnerable nations," while also aiming to stabilize the global oil market in the face of geopolitical fluctuations.