Overview
- OFAC, which issued General License 134B on Friday, set the waiver to expire at 00:01 ET on May 16, replacing an earlier authorization that lapsed April 11.
- The license covers only Russian crude oil and petroleum that had been loaded onto vessels by the date of issuance.
- Treasury listed allowed tasks for those cargoes that include safe berthing, crew health measures, emergency repairs, environmental mitigation, ship management, crewing, and bunkering.
- Top Senate Democrats Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Jeanne Shaheen condemned the step as a 180‑degree reversal and called it shameful.
- The move follows a March pause that covered cargoes loaded by March 12, and critics warn repeated carve‑outs risk weakening the sanctions regime built after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.