Fact Check: Trump Critics’ Claims About Russian Oil Sanctions Waiver

**TL;DR:** The waiver renewal allowing purchase of Russian oil already loaded onto vessels until May 16 is mostly true. The claim that the prior waiver gave Russia $150 million per day and over $4 billion cannot be verified. The statement that the waiver applies only to oil already in transit and not to new production is mostly true.

**Claim 1:** The US Treasury Department's license permits countries to purchase Russian oil and petroleum products that are already loaded onto vessels until May 16.

**Evidence:** The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 134B on April 17, authorizing transactions for Russian crude and petroleum products loaded onto vessels as of that date, with the waiver running through May 16 and replacing a prior license that expired April 11.

**Verdict:** mostly_true

**Analysis:** Multiple news reports confirm the waiver’s terms and the May 16 end date, matching the description of oil already loaded onto vessels.

**Claim 2:** The initial waiver that expired on April 11, combined with high global oil prices during the Iran war, gave Russia approximately $150 million per day, totaling over $4 billion before the exemption ended.

**Evidence:** Senators Shaheen, Schumer and Warren cited those figures in a joint letter, but the provided sources do not include independent calculations or verification of the daily revenue or total amount linked to the waiver period.

**Verdict:** unverifiable

**Analysis:** While the letter makes the claim, the available evidence focuses on the waiver’s renewal and purpose, not on the financial impact, so the specific dollar amounts cannot be confirmed.

**Claim 3:** US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz stated that the waiver applies only to oil already in transit and does not allow new production to enter the market.

**Evidence:** In an NBC interview, Waltz said the waiver covers only oil already loaded onto vessels and does not permit new production, a position consistent with the Treasury’s General License 134B, which authorizes transactions for oil loaded as of April 17.

**Verdict:** mostly_true

**Analysis:** The waiver’s language repeatedly ties authorization to oil loaded before a set date, supporting Waltz’s assertion that it does not open the market to newly produced Russian oil.

What to watch next: whether the administration will let the waiver lapse after May 16 or extend it further, and how lawmakers respond to any change.