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Russia-Ukraine War 2026
12OCT

Treasury drops Turkish and Indian names

2 min read
10:59UTC

The US Treasury removed five Turkish entities, two Turkish individuals and four Indian companies from its Russia sanctions list on 1 July, giving no public reason.

ConflictDeveloping
Key takeaway

Sanctions relief nobody announces is relief nobody can be pressed to reverse.

The US Treasury removed five Turkish entities, two Turkish individuals and four Indian companies from the Russia sanctions list created by Executive Order 14024 on 1 July, publishing no reason for any of them⁠1. A comparable tranche had gone through a week earlier, on 24 June, covering seven individuals, two companies and two vessels⁠2.

No press release accompanied either action. The removals surface only by comparing successive versions of the specially designated nationals list, the register that tells banks, insurers and shipping brokers which counterparties they must refuse. Once a name leaves it, compliance departments worldwide stop blocking that counterparty within days, whatever Washington's stated policy remains.

Turkey and India are the two jurisdictions through which most re-exported Russian crude and dual-use goods have moved since 2022, which makes the choice of names harder to read as routine housekeeping. The delistings also land in weeks when no successor crude licence has been issued after the previous waiver lapsed unrenewed. Sanctions relief usually arrives as a negotiated concession, announced and traded for something. Here the easing is already operative and nobody has claimed credit for granting it, which leaves Kyiv and its European partners without a counterpart to lobby or a decision to contest.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

The US Treasury quietly removed 11 names, 5 Turkish entities, 2 Turkish individuals, and 4 Indian companies, from its Russia sanctions list on 1 July, following the removal of another 11 names (7 individuals, 2 companies and 2 vessels) on 24 June. No public announcement or explanation came with either change; the only way to spot it is by comparing the sanctions list before and after. This matters because it runs opposite to the general pattern of the war, where the US and its allies have mostly been adding names to sanctions lists, not quietly removing them.

First Reported In

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Global Sanctions· 19 Jul 2026
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Causes and effects
Different Perspectives
Government of Latvia
Government of Latvia
Latvia abstained on 22 September when the EU renewed its individual sanctions for 36 months at the price of delisting Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman, and promised national sanctions of its own. Riga's abstention marks how far a frontline member state will go to keep listed names listed.
India's Ministry of External Affairs
India's Ministry of External Affairs
After the House passed the Graham bill on 16 September, India's foreign ministry said it would keep buying energy on market terms and protect its trade. Russia supplied 30.3% of India's crude imports in fiscal 2026, so the tariff decision due around 18 October falls directly on New Delhi.
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
Kallas answered the US licence on 10 October by saying Europe would not ease pressure, and EU ministers adopted a 22nd package of nearly 1,600 listings two days later. Brussels is tightening as Washington loosens, though TASS reported the package adds no significant new trade restrictions.
Donald Trump and the US Treasury
Donald Trump and the US Treasury
The Treasury licensed Russian diesel imports until 7 April 2027 on the day of Trump's call with Putin, and Trump then told reporters Ukraine should find a new leader. Washington is trading sanctions relief for fuel supply while pressing Kyiv to halt the refinery strikes behind the shortage.
Kremlin and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak
Kremlin and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak
After the 9 October call the Kremlin said Russia was ready to supply oil and petroleum products to American and global markets, and Novak brought forward the end of diesel export curbs. Moscow is selling the shortage back as goodwill, with volumes that Decree No. 686 now hides from outside checks.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Zelenskyy called GL 135 an investment in prolonging the war and offered to stop striking Russian refineries if Russia stops destroying Ukraine's energy system. Answering Trump's call for a new leader, he set a total 60-day ceasefire as the condition for elections, which puts the next move on Moscow.