US renews waiver for Russian oil purchases

The Trump administration has renewed a sanctions waiver allowing countries to purchase sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products at sea for approximately one month, until May 16. This decision comes just two days after the administration indicated it had no plans to extend the waiver. The move provides continued legal cover for transactions involving Russian oil loaded onto tankers before the original deadline. The reversal suggests ongoing internal deliberations or external pressure influencing US sanctions policy toward Russia.