US Updates Russian Oil License: New Restrictions on Cuba, Iran, North Korea
The United States has updated its license for operations involving Russian oil, adding specific prohibitions on transactions with several countries, including Cuba and North Korea, according to a document from the U.S. Treasury Department.
These amendments pertain to the license permitting the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels by March 12. The revised license now explicitly forbids operations involving entities linked to Iran, Cuba, North Korea, as well as Crimea and the newly incorporated regions of Russia.
All other terms remain unchanged: transactions under this license are still permitted until 00:01 Eastern Daylight Time on April 11 of the current year.
Previously, some analysts suggested that the easing of U.S. restrictions on Russian energy marked a turning point for the West since the start of the conflict, effectively trapping Europe in a difficult situation.
On March 13, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that the easing of U.S. sanctions on Russian oil represents an attempt to stabilize energy markets. He emphasized that stability in these markets is unattainable without significant volumes of Russian oil.
A political scientist commented on whether this situation benefits Russia and if further easing of other sanctions is possible.
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