Democratic senators have called on the U.S. not to extend the sanctions exemption on Russian oil
A group of Democratic senators in the U.S. Congress has urged President Donald Trump’s administration not to extend the sanctions exemption for Russian oil loaded onto tankers, which is set to expire today.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal released a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
It was signed by six lawmakers: Jean Shaheen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Christopher Coons, Jackie Rosen, and Mark Kelly.
In the letter, the senators emphasize that extending the exemption poses risks to U.S. sanctions policy and could provide Russia with additional revenue amid the ongoing war against Ukraine.
“We strongly urge the Department not to extend this waiver. This policy, though temporary and limited in scope, threatens to provide Russia with a continuous stream of revenue at a time when it is actively continuing its war against Ukraine and continues to harm the United States… To continue weakening sanctions against Russia, which is providing Iran with valuable intelligence for strikes against our military and facilities, is unacceptable,” the letter states.
The senators also state that extending the exemption undermines previous U.S. efforts to apply economic pressure on Russia and sends mixed signals to international partners.
Furthermore, they question the official justification for this policy—stabilizing global energy markets amid the war with Iran.
“There has been no significant drop in oil prices, which raises the question of whether the exemption has achieved its goal—while clearly helping our rival,” the signatories noted.
Earlier, the U.S. temporarily lifted sanctions on several Russian vessels so they could complete the unloading of oil loaded before March 12. This applies to container ships and tankers flying the Russian flag that were already en route. New shipments and transactions with Iran remain prohibited.
