The United States has lifted sanctions on three Russian-flagged commercial vessels, but the Treasury Department says the move does not signal a broader change in Washington’s policy toward Russia, according to an RFE/RL report. 

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on March 31 that it had removed the Sv Nikolay, Fesco Moneron, and Fesco Magadan from its Specially Designated Nationals list. The vessels had previously been sanctioned over links to Russian financial institutions already under sanctions and for activities connected to Russia’s war in Ukraine, RFE/RL reported. 

A Treasury spokesperson told RFE/RL that removals from the sanctions list are not indicative of a wider shift in U.S.-Russia policy and said the delistings followed a “thorough review” under standard sanctions enforcement procedures. The spokesperson said OFAC routinely adds and removes people and entities from the list consistent with the law and that sanctions are meant to change behavior and promote accountability, the report said. 

The decision drew criticism because of the lack of a public explanation, especially amid growing scrutiny in Washington over recent U.S. steps to ease some sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports in response to market disruptions tied to the conflict in Iran, according to RFE/RL. Former U.S. diplomat Daniel Fried told the outlet the move was, at minimum, a bad look without more context. 

The delisting will allow the ships to regain access to ports and maritime services that had been restricted under sanctions. The Sv Nikolay had been implicated in transporting grain from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, while the Fesco Moneron and Fesco Magadan were linked to shipments of military or dual-use goods, the report said. 

Jim Mullinax, a former State Department sanctions official, told RFE/RL that the delistings most likely reflected technical or legal issues rather than a strategic pivot. He said the vessels were originally designated both because of their ownership by sanctioned banks and because of their roles in moving stolen Ukrainian grain or military-related cargo. He added that because the vessels are container ships, their removal from the list had nothing to do with efforts to facilitate global oil trade. 

The move has also fueled broader concerns on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers from both parties have warned that easing sanctions pressure could weaken efforts to constrain Moscow’s finances and energy leverage as the war in Ukraine continues, the news outlet said.

In recent comments, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) characterized the lifting restrictions on Russian oil as the “wrong move,” warning that every dollar generated “fuels Putin’s war” and prolongs suffering in Ukraine.

Read more at RFE/RL