WASHINGTON, April 22, (APP/AFP) – The US Treasury on
Friday said it would not waive trade sanctions for US companies seeking to resume oil drilling in Russia, including ExxonMobil.
The announcement followed media reports that Exxon had sought a waiver to resume a joint venture with Russia’s Rosneft oil company.
“In consultation with President Donald J. Trump, the Treasury Department will not be issuing waivers to US companies, including Exxon, authorizing drilling prohibited by current Russian sanctions,” the Treasury Department said in a statement.
Having failed to win a waiver from the Obama administration in 2015,
ExxonMobil began pressing the Treasury to grant an exemption in March, shortly after the company’s former CEO Rex Tillerson became secretary of state, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Tillerson, who while with ExxonMobil had forged close relations with
Russian President Vladimir Putin and with Rosneft, has recused himself from the decision.
ExxonMobil has sought permission to drill in several areas that are
currently off limits, including the Black Sea.
The Trump administration has extensive ties to the energy sector and has vowed to promote oil exploration and production.
But the decision comes as relations between Moscow and Washington have soured in recent weeks following a US missile strike in Syria in retaliation for a suspected chemical attack on civilians.