Cabinet officials backed the pause on Sunday, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisting that no existing sanctions were removed during the administration's 60-day economic review and that "the only thing that has been lifted is the diesel embargo." Energy Secretary Chris Wright argued the arrangement pressures Moscow because "Russia does not have diesel to export" and can only free up supplies if it moves to "turn down the conflict with Ukraine," while House Speaker Mike Johnson described the approach as "thinking outside the box."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that the waiver is "strengthening Putin's war against us" and provides "more support for Russian aggression." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed Zelenskyy's demands to be consulted on the fuel pact as "self-aggrandizement," saying the agreement is strictly between Moscow and Washington. Separately, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Turkey will receive a portion of the over 1.8 million tons of Russian diesel being released under the US license through April 2027, after Russian export curbs earlier this year disrupted flows that accounted for about 85% of Turkey's diesel imports in 2025.