Schiff on lifting of some Russian sanctions: ‘We’re enriching our adversary’ 

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday slammed the Trump adminsitration’s “terrible decision” to lift some sanctions on Russian oil amid the war in Iran.

“I think this is a terrible decision, but it is one of the things that comes about as a result of the unpredictability of war,” Schiff told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” noting that the U.S. is “essentially” giving Russia “$140 million a day” when Moscow is “providing intelligence to Iran to better attack and kill American troops.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Thursday that the U.S. would temporarily remove sanctions on Russian oil stranded at sea, as the administration looks to tamp down rising gas and oil prices. The move has agitated some critics, who argue its counterintuitive to the administration’s efforts to help bring about an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Bessent said on social media that the “narrowly tailored” lifting of sanctions “will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government.” The sanction exemptions remain in place until mid-April, according to the Treasury Department.

There are about 130 million barrels of Russian oil at sea, according to Kpler, while the price for one barrel of crude oil hovers around $100.

Schiff, a longtime critic of President Trump and his administration, said the Treasury Department’s policy change will ultimately benefit Moscow.

“And you’re darn right when you asked the secretary about this: it is rewarding Russia, and it is punishing Ukraine,” he added, referring to an earlier “Meet the Press” segment with Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “And for the president, when he’s criticized about lifting the sanctions on Russia, to somehow turn around and blame [Ukrainian President Volodymr] Zelensky, blame Ukraine.”

“No, Russia is the problem here,” he continued. “And we’re enriching our adversary, Russia, at Ukraine’s expense.”

It’s not just Democrats that have ripped the administration’s stance on sanctions, however.

On Friday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote on social media that “[t]emporarily removing sanctions 4 Russian oil is [the] wrong move.” The Iowa senator added that money from sales of Russian oil “fuels [Russian President Vladimir] Putins war& prolongs suffering in Ukraine.”

Broad concerns about Russia aiding Tehran have surfaced after the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran late last month. Zelensky, in a CNN interview that aired Sunday, claimed that Russia provided Iran with Shahed drones, which were later used on U.S. bases in the region.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. 

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