On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department broadened the permission for Lukoil-branded gas stations operating outside of Russia to remain in business, temporarily lifting some sanctions imposed on the Russian energy company.

This action effectively enables Lukoil-branded gas stations, including those in places like the United States, to keep serving their customers while ensuring that revenue does not flow back to Russia, which has faced extensive sanctions from the U.S. and EU since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The Treasury explained that the extension of this authorization aims to “reduce the negative impact on consumers and suppliers looking to conduct standard transactions” with the Lukoil-affiliated service stations.

This decision marks a partial reversal of the restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump in October.

In a notable move to exert pressure on Moscow, Trump implemented sanctions against major Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft, effective from November 21.

These sanctions, among the most significant Trump had enacted against Russia due to the Ukraine conflict, led many large purchasers of Russian oil to seek alternative sources.

The announcement regarding the relaxation of measures on Lukoil came in the same week that U.S. negotiators had discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow about a potential U.S. agreement to resolve the ongoing conflict.

The European Union’s chief diplomat recently expressed concerns that Russia might exploit the U.S. proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine to delay the imposition of sanctions.