The US Treasury has granted Germany an indefinite waiver on sanctions targeting Rosneft's German operations, including the PCK refinery in Schwedt. The exemption removes the threat of supply disruptions that would have left Berlin without 90 per cent of its fuel supply. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's recent Washington visit appears to have smoothed negotiations with the Trump administration.

Washington initially imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil in October, aiming to cut Russian oil revenues funding Moscow's war in Ukraine. Germany had secured only a six-month exemption due to expire April 29, which would have forced the government to nationalise the refinery or arrange thousands of fuel trucks to supply the capital. Economy Minister Katherina Reiche called the waiver 'a strong signal of close transatlantic solidarity in sanctions policy.'

The refinery sits on the Druzhba pipeline and was configured for Russian Urals crude but now processes Kazakh oil. While Berlin controls operations through federal trusteeship, Rosneft retains majority ownership. Left-wing MP Christian Görke criticised the waiver as temporary and urged expropriation of Rosneft's shares, warning that 'the US government, with its unpredictable president, could reverse this decision at any time.'