The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday authorized certain transactions involving Russian-origin diesel fuel through early April, drawing criticism from three Democratic senators who said the move weakens pressure on Moscow.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control's General License 135 permits transactions otherwise barred by Russia-related sanctions when they involve the sale, delivery, offloading or importation of diesel fuel of Russian origin. It explicitly includes imports into the United States and runs through 12:01 a.m. Eastern daylight time April 7, 2027.
The one-page license does not repeal all U.S. sanctions on Russia or authorize every petroleum transaction. It also bars debits to certain accounts held at U.S. financial institutions for Russia's central bank, National Wealth Fund or Ministry of Finance. Treasury announced the license Friday without giving a reason in that notice.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts condemned the decision, arguing that allowing Russian diesel sales could provide revenue to Moscow during its war against Ukraine. They characterized the authorization as a six-month reversal of sanctions policy.
The senators also linked the move to high fuel prices and the U.S. war with Iran. Those are the lawmakers' political arguments, not findings established by the Treasury license. The license itself says which transactions are authorized and when the authorization expires; it does not forecast pump prices, the volume of trade or Russia's resulting revenue.
The policy's effects will depend on whether companies use the authorization and on the terms of any resulting sales. Neither the Treasury notice nor the senators' statement supplies a verified estimate of those transactions or a New York-specific effect.
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