US Office of Foreign Assets Control
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department charged with administering and enforcing American economic and trade sanctions. It maintains the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, which names individuals and organizations subject to asset freezes and prohibitions on transactions by U.S. parties. OFAC carries out U.S. sanctions against designated states, terrorist groups, narcotics traffickers, and those involved in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Sanctions policy is set by the President and Congress, while OFAC handles implementation and enforcement.
-
Trump announces Russian diesel deal, Zelensky calls it "birthday gift for Putin"
On 9 October 2026, US President Donald Trump announced a phone agreement with Vladimir Putin to supply millions of tons of Russian diesel fuel to US and global markets, accompanied by a Treasury general licence temporarily lifting sanctions on Russian-origin diesel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticised the move as "obvious weakness" and a "birthday gift for Putin" that would help finance Russia's war, while a senior Ukrainian official told the Financial Times that Kyiv would continue long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries despite the deal.