Lifting Of US Restrictions To Affect 100 Mln Barrels Of Russian Oil in Transit - Dmitriev

MOSCOW, March 13 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The lifting of US restrictions will affect 100 million barrels of Russian oil in transit, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, the United States authorised the sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of March 12.

"US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced not only the easing of restrictions on India's purchase of Russian oil, but also the lifting of all restrictions on approximately 100 million barrels of Russian oil in transit," Dmitriev said on Telegram, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

He noted that, amid the growing energy crisis, further easing of restrictions on Russian energy products appears increasingly inevitable, despite resistance from some in "the Brussels bureaucracy."

By lifting restrictions on Russian oil, the US is admitting that the global energy market cannot remain stable without it, Dmitriev added.

The United States has authorised the sale of Russian crude oil and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of March 12, a general licence from the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) read.

"Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this general licence, all transactions prohibited by the above-listed authorities that are ordinarily incident and necessary to the sale, delivery, or offloading of crude oil or petroleum products of Russian Federation origin loaded on any vessel, including vessels blocked under the above listed authorities, on or before 12:01 am eastern daylight time, March 12, 2026 are authorised through 12:01 am eastern daylight time, April 11, 2026," the document read on Thursday.

--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI