The United States has extended a waiver permitting countries to continue purchasing Russian oil and petroleum products at sea for roughly another month, as the Trump administration seeks to stabilise global oil supplies amid disruptions linked to the conflict with Iran.
According to a notice from the US Treasury Department, the extension allows transactions involving Russian oil loaded onto vessels as of Friday to continue until May 16.
The earlier waiver had been due to expire on April 11, reports Al Jazeera.
Russia’s presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev previously said the initial waiver could release around 100 million barrels of crude into the market—nearly equivalent to one day of global oil production.
However, the decision has drawn criticism in some Western circles. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, among others, argued that such measures could undermine sanctions aimed at cutting off revenue streams that Russia has used to finance its war in Ukraine.