EU Commissioner Šefčovič: US Will Not Re-Ease Oil Sanctions Against Russia

Following a series of meetings with American officials in Washington, EU Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič stated that the United States does not plan to extend the exemption from sanctions against Russian oil for a second time. This exemption was introduced due to the war in the Middle East.

The Commissioner announced this at a press conference during his visit to the US, as reported by «European Pravda». Šefčovič noted that he raised the issue of sanctions against Russia during his meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

According to the EU Commissioner, Bessent made it clear that the easing of sanctions would not be repeated. The American minister also explained that Washington had previously taken such a step due to appeals from several «low-income countries» that found themselves in an extremely difficult situation.

It is worth recalling that on April 18, the US had already lifted sanctions for 30 days on Russian oil that had already been loaded onto tankers and was at sea. Representatives of the American administration publicly assured that they did not intend to extend the validity of the sanctions exemptions for Russian oil. This week, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that he extended exemptions from oil sanctions against Russia and Iran following requests from «vulnerable» countries affected by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.