The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has issued a sharp rebuke to the U.S. government over its decision to temporarily lift sanctions on the sale of Russian oil because of rising energy prices.

“We believe it is wrong to ease the sanctions,” Merz said on the morning of March 13. “Unfortunately, Russia continues to show no willingness to negotiate. We will therefore, and must, further increase the pressure on Moscow.”

The Trump administration announced March 12 it would temporarily waive sanctions on Russian oil stranded at sea, in an attempt to counter a surge in prices and mounting apprehension about global supplies, as trade through the Strait of Hormuz remains stalled.

Both Germany and France objected, saying that allowing Russia to sell its oil to countries that previously imposed sanctions would increase the money available for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which just entered its fifth year.

According to the Guardian, Merz insisted that support for Ukraine should continue despite the conflict in the Middle East, saying: “We will not allow ourselves to be deterred or distracted from this by the war with Iran.”

Moscow claimed on March 13 that it was “increasingly inevitable” that Washington would lift the sanctions. The U.S. was “effectively acknowledging the obvious: without Russian oil, the global energy market cannot remain stable,” Russia’s economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, wrote on Telegram.

Scott Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, announced a “temporary authorization” late on March 12, under which countries are permitted to buy the stranded Russian oil for 30 days. Trump was “working to keep prices low”, he said, after average U.S. fuel prices rose by 65 cents per gallon in a month.