Kinshasa, April 16th, 2026 (CPA).-Russia has minimized the impact of the return of US sanctions on its oil, which had been lifted by Washington to curb the surge in crude prices caused by the war in the Middle East, international media have reported. “For years, we live under the weight of sanctions (…) We have already learnt to minimise their impact. This was predictable,” has declared Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson. For his part, US Minister in charge of Finance, Scott Bessent, had announced last Wednesday that the United States would not extend the suspension of sanctions on the Russian oil stored at sea.
These measures, along with those affecting Iranian oil, had been put on hold in March to allow Russia and Iran to sell their crude in the hope of moderating the surge in prices following the conflict in the Middle East. Furthermore, Washington had announced that the exemption concerning Iranian oil would not be extended either. These sanctions are intended to dry up Russia’s oil revenues to punish it for having launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, and Iran’s for the continuation of its nuclear programme and the financing of armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon.