U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone about the Middle East conflict, but it appears sanctions relief on Russia was not discussed.
The Kremlin said on the 10th (local time) that specific easing of oil-related sanctions was not brought up during the phone call between President Putin and U.S. President Trump.
Russia has been under Western sanctions on crude oil exports since its invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Russian crude has been sold at discounted prices.
However, recent turmoil in the Middle East is seen as giving a windfall to Russian oil prices. As oil supplies tighten, it is fueling an increase in prices for Russian crude that had been sold cheaply.
In response, President Trump said at a press conference the previous day, "We will lift the sanctions until the Strait of Hormuz is normalized." He did not mention specific measures or which countries' sanctions would be lifted, but the remark came right after his call with President Putin.
Russia, however, drew a line under Trump's remark. According to RIA Novosti and other outlets, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin Spokesperson, was asked at a briefing that day about the possibility of U.S. sanctions relief following the two leaders' call the day before and said, "This issue was not discussed in any concrete way."
Still, Peskov said, "Both Trump and Putin are well aware of the impact on the global economy," adding, "As for oil sanctions, the measures the United States is taking are part of efforts to stabilize the global energy market amid the situation in the Persian Gulf."