Interior Secretary Doug Burgum moved to clear up confusion Monday, stating plainly that the Trump administration has not lifted any sanctions on Russian oil or Russian oil exports. Speaking on the administration's negotiating posture with Moscow, Burgum insisted President Trump 'has got all the cards' as he works to end the war in Ukraine.
'We have not lifted any of the sanctions on Russian oil and Russian oil exports,' Burgum said. 'The work that's done again with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Scott Besent at Treasury. These are the toughest sanctions that Russia's ever faced, but they need some incentives.'
A Sanction-Free Carrot for Diesel
The secretary explained the one targeted incentive on the table: sanction-free diesel if Russia puts it on the world market. 'What they, if they could produce diesel and put it on the market, we're giving that we're basically putting a carrot out there to saying, hey, if you could put some diesel on the market, that would go sanction-free,' Burgum said.
That move, he argued, would directly benefit American consumers and producers. 'That would help American farmers, American truckers, American ranchers. That would be a plus, but it could go into the world market someplace else. We wouldn't necessarily be buying it. It's good to go to someone else. But more supply in the world market will lower the prices here at home,' Burgum continued.
Pressure Campaign Remains
Despite the diesel carve-out, the secretary stressed the broader sanctions architecture remains the toughest Russia has ever faced. 'The sanctions are the toughest they've ever been. Trump working to get a deal done to end that war,' he said.
