Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday condemned the easing of sanctions on Russian oil after the United States extended a waiver meant to soften surging energy prices driven by the Middle East war.
“Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war” and the billions of dollars involved are used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Zelensky said in a post on X.
The US Treasury Department extension on Friday issued a month-long sanctions waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea. The action was intended to bring down soaring energy prices.
Zelensky said there were more than 110 tankers carrying Russian oil in breach of international sanctions currently at sea, carrying more than 12 million tonnes of crude “which, due to the easing of sanctions, can once again be sold without consequences.
“That is $10 billion — a resource that is directly converted into new strikes against Ukraine,” Zelensky said. (AFP)
