Trump intensified pressure on Russia: an important sanctions loophole for the energy sector has been canceled.

The administration of US President Donald Trump did not extend the exemption from the sanctions regime regarding operations with Russian banks related to payments for energy resources.

The General License 8L from the US Department of Treasury, which expired on March 12, allowed operations with 12 sanctioned Russian banks in the energy sector, including natural gas, oil, coal, uranium, and related technologies.

Currently, the license has not been renewed. This is the first exemption issued by the Biden administration in the post-trade period in February 2022.

Recently, White House spokeswoman Caroline Livitt confirmed that Trump did not extend the general license.

According to Fox News journalist Jackie Heinrich, the Trump administration did not provide a response regarding the renewal of the license, which may lead to 'negligence'.

According to Edward Lawrence, citing an anonymous source, the non-renewal of the license is 'a negotiating tactic to end the invasion'. According to the source, the US continues to apply sanctions, which are a key tool to stop the war in Ukraine.

Last week, Trump stated that he is considering the possibility of imposing widespread sanctions and tariffs against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. He also assured that there is 'no one who has been as tough on Russia' as he has.