US plans to ease sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet

The Trump administration is considering ​easing sanctions on so-called shadow fleet vessels that have transported oil and petroleum products from countries including Russia, Iran and ‌Venezuela, in an effort to reduce record-high global freight rates, a US official said on Wednesday, Report informs via Reuters.

The discussions are happening days after President Donald Trump temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian diesel fuel, a move met with a torrent of criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European countries and some of Trump's fellow Republicans in the US Senate.

Both Zelenskyy and the US senators called ​that move a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin that would provide Russia with revenue to keep funding its war in Ukraine.

The new ​talks center on the United States potentially allowing "legal oil" to flow on previously sanctioned vessels, the US official said. ⁠That means crude or petroleum products not sanctioned by Washington rather than Russian and Iranian oil, which are under punitive measures.

The goal is to ​get more refined products and crude out of the Gulf, the official said.