A rare rupture has opened on the American right, with The Wall Street Journal launching a blistering attack on Donald Trump over a move it says hands Moscow an economic lifeline during wartime.

The conservative editorial board accused the administration of undercutting its own sanctions regime, warning the decision risks emboldening Russia while offering little benefit to the United States or its allies.

Sanctions Loosened as Oil Shock Ripples

The row centres on a Treasury decision to ease restrictions on Russian oil exports, triggered by turmoil in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian disruption choked a key global supply route.

Washington framed the move as a stabilising measure for energy markets. But critics say the intervention barely dented global supply pressures while allowing Russian crude to re-enter markets at stronger prices.

Editorial Board: ‘A Gift to the Kremlin’

In unusually direct language, The Wall Street Journal accused Trump of effectively boosting Kremlin revenues. The paper argued that releasing pent-up Russian oil stocks reduced discounts and pushed export prices higher.

Data cited by the board showed Russia’s Urals crude hitting its highest levels in over a decade, strengthening a war economy already under strain but far from collapse.

War Effort Complicated, Not Curbed

The critique lands as Russia presses its campaign in Ukraine, with energy income remaining a crucial funding stream.

The board noted the only significant brake on Russian profits has come from Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure — not Western sanctions policy. That, it warned, underscores the limited impact of Washington’s latest move.

Pressure Builds on Trump From Within

The sharp rebuke is politically significant, signalling unease among traditional conservative voices over Trump’s foreign policy direction.

The editorial closed with a pointed warning: with Russia reportedly aiding Iran, easing pressure on Moscow risks backfiring strategically. The message was blunt — stop giving Vladimir Putin room to manoeuvre.

WSJ rebukes Trump for latest gift to Russia

He never will.

In fact, he can't.
It remains rather a mystery why.

There are different theories. Probably it is some kind of combination of them rather than one specific thing.

April 9 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is currently in the U.S. and is meeting members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration for discussions on a peace deal for Ukraine and U.S.-Russia economic cooperation, sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters.

The visit comes before the U.S. decision on whether to extend sanctions relief on Russian oil, which expires on April 11 and could also be on the agenda. 

 

The sanctions relief took place after a call between Trump and Putin on March 9 and a subsequent visit to the U.S. by Dmitriev to discuss the energy crisis with a U.S. delegation that included Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Russian special envoy Dmitriev in US, meeting Trump administration members, sources say

As Alberta once said, "Let them freeze in the dark!"