U.S. Temporarily Allows Countries to Buy Russian Oil Already at Sea
U.S. Temporarily Allows Countries to Buy Russian Oil at Sea to Stabilize Global Prices
In an effort to calm surging global oil prices, the United States Department of the Treasury has introduced a temporary policy allowing countries to purchase Russian oil shipments that are already at sea.
The measure will remain in effect for 30 days, until April 11, and is aimed at easing pressure on the global energy market.
On March 12, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the decision in a post on the social media platform X.
He explained that the United States is “temporarily allowing countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea” as a short-term step to stabilize energy supplies and prevent further price spikes.
According to Bessent, the measure is strictly limited in scope and applies only to oil shipments that had already been loaded and were in transit before the policy was announced. He emphasized that the decision will not significantly increase revenue for the Russian government, noting that most of Moscow’s energy income is generated through taxes that are assessed when the oil is extracted rather than when it is sold.
Further details released on the Treasury Department’s official website clarify that the exemption applies to Russian crude oil and petroleum products that were loaded onto ships before or at 12:01 AM (U.S. time) on March 12. Countries will be allowed to complete purchases of these shipments until 12:01 PM on April 11, after which the exemption will expire.
The announcement came just one day after the United States Department of Energy said it would release 172 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. This release is part of a larger coordinated effort among members of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which collectively announced a plan on March 11 to inject about 400 million barrels of oil into global markets in order to curb rising fuel prices.
Despite these measures, oil prices have continued to climb. Global benchmark prices are currently trading around $95 to $100 per barrel, reflecting ongoing supply concerns and geopolitical tensions affecting energy markets.
This is not the first time Washington has granted such a temporary exemption. Earlier, the Treasury Department allowed India to purchase Russian oil that was already at sea for a similar 30-day window. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, New Delhi purchased approximately 30 million barrels of Russian crude after receiving that permission.
India emerged as one of the largest buyers of Russian oil following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Western sanctions pushed Moscow to redirect exports toward Asian markets at discounted prices. However, in recent months India has reportedly reduced its purchases after reaching new trade understandings with Washington.
Meanwhile, data reported by The Guardian suggests that Russia may have earned around €6 billion (about $6.9 billion) from exports of fossil fuels—including crude oil, natural gas, and coal—in just two weeks after tensions in the Middle East escalated. A study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) also indicated that the average price of these energy products has risen about 14% this month compared with February, highlighting the impact of geopolitical instability on global energy costs.
Since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Russian oil has faced strict restrictions from Western nations. The United States, the European Union, and members of the Group of Seven imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Moscow’s energy sector. These measures include bans on importing Russian crude oil and many petroleum products, as well as a price cap system designed to limit Russia’s earnings from energy exports.
Under the price cap rules, Western shipping companies, insurers, and financial institutions are only allowed to provide services for Russian oil shipments if the oil is sold below $48 per barrel. In addition, dozens of oil tankers suspected of helping Russia circumvent sanctions through shadow shipping networks have been blacklisted.
Analysts say the new 30-day exemption reflects Washington’s attempt to balance sanctions on Russia with the need to stabilize global energy markets, especially at a time when supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions continue to push oil prices higher.
My Sister Hit My 6-Month-Old Baby at Christmas Dinner—Then My Husband Stood Up and Said 2 Words
My Sister Hit My 6-Month-Old Baby at Christmas Dinner—Then My Husband Stood Up and Said 2 Words
The entire table went silent.
My mother looked down.
My father said nothing.
No one moved.
Except my husband.
He rose from his chair slowly, calm and completely in control, looked my sister straight in the eyes, and told her to leave.
She never came back after that night.
Christmas dinner at my parents’ house had always been loud, crowded, and slightly exhausting.
But that year felt different from the moment we arrived.
My husband, Captain James Walker, had only recently returned from a long deployment.
Our daughter, Emma, was six months old.
She wore a tiny red Christmas onesie with little reindeer stitched across the front.
It was her very first Christmas.
For us, that alone made the night special.
Then my sister Lauren showed up.
Late, as usual.
She walked through the door carrying a bottle of wine in one hand and a list of complaints in the other.
She barely looked at Emma.
Dinner was already halfway over when Emma started getting fussy.
Nothing unusual.
She was tired, overwhelmed by the noise, and surrounded by people she barely knew.
I stood beside the table, lifted her into my arms, and gently rocked her against my chest.
Lauren immediately rolled her eyes.
“She’s already spoiled,” she said.
“You pick her up every single time she makes a sound.”
I looked at her.
“She’s six months old, Lauren.”
Lauren pushed back her chair and stood.
“Give her to me.”
Before I could answer, she reached for Emma.
I hesitated.
But Lauren had already put her hands out.
The moment Emma felt herself being pulled away from me, she squirmed.
Then she started crying harder.
Lauren’s face tightened.
And before I fully understood what she was doing—
she slapped my baby.
It wasn’t hard enough to leave a visible mark.
But it was hard enough.
Hard enough to make Emma scream.
Hard enough to make every person at that table freeze.
Hard enough to make something inside me snap.
“What did you just do?”
My voice came out louder than I intended.
Lauren stared at me like I was the one behaving badly.
Then she gave a careless little scoff.
“Oh, relax.”
“It was a tap.”
“You’re overreacting.”
I immediately pulled Emma back against my chest.
She was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.
My hands started shaking as I held her.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
I looked around the table, waiting for someone—anyone—to say something.
My mother stared down at her plate.
My father cleared his throat but never looked at Lauren.
My uncle shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
No one defended Emma.
No one confronted Lauren.
Nothing.
“That was my child,” I said, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“You just hit my baby.”
Lauren folded her arms.
“Oh my God, you’re so dramatic.”
Then she actually laughed.
“Children need discipline.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“Discipline?”
“She’s six months old.”
Lauren shrugged.
“Then maybe she should learn early.”
Still, nobody at the table said a word.
The silence hurt almost as much as what Lauren had done.
And then—
a chair scraped sharply across the floor.
Everyone turned.
James stood up.
He didn’t slam his hands on the table.
He didn’t shout.
He didn’t curse.
He simply rose to his full height and looked directly at Lauren.
His posture was straight.
His expression was unreadable.
I had seen that look before.
At military ceremonies.
During difficult phone calls.
In moments when everyone around him understood that the conversation was over before he even raised his voice.
“Get out,” James said.
Lauren blinked.
Then she gave a nervous laugh.
“Excuse me?”
James didn’t move.
“You struck my child.”
His voice remained quiet.
Controlled.
“You will leave this house.”
“Now.”
Lauren looked around the table, clearly expecting someone to jump in and defend her.
Nobody did.
Her smile disappeared.
“You’re seriously kicking me out over that?”
James held her gaze.
“I’m telling you to leave because you put your hands on my six-month-old daughter and then laughed about it.”
Lauren’s face reddened.
“This isn’t even your house.”
James took one slow step forward.
“No.”
“It isn’t.”
Then his eyes briefly moved across the silent faces around the table before returning to hers.
“But that is my daughter.”
“And you will never touch her again.”
Lauren opened her mouth to argue.
James didn’t give her the chance.
“If you don’t leave immediately,” he said calmly, “I will…”
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